Chronicles of the Leaf - Act 2
by Shinigami Miroku
Summary: The Chronicles continue! Watch Naruto and the Rookie Twelve grow in an adverse world or die trying. Continuation of Chronicles of the Leaf - Act 1
1. Chapter 1

The next day was back to routine for everyone, though all felt the changes that had occurred over the past week. Hinata was happier than ever, hardly ever stuttering and keeping her oversized tan jacket open rather than keeping it zipped up as she usually would. Haku and Zabuza had settled into their apartment; Haku was assigned to Yamato, who wouldn't complain to anyone that he had his hands full just with the seemingly-emotionless Sai, while Zabuza was put on the inactive list while the Hokage looked for a loophole in their treaty with Mist that he could use to bring Zabuza in completely as an official Leaf ninja. Saito and Yuugao were more comfortable than ever as they taught their team, and the genin noticed this. Anko was as crazy as ever, though their genin responded better than before, actually putting every ounce of their energy into getting better, while Kakashi had begun to teach Sasuke specifically about the basics of the Sharingan. Even Shikamaru was putting in more effort into his training, to the delight of his parents and teachers; he'd realized during the battle at the bridge that he might have been able to prevent Sasuke's 'death' if he'd been able to trap Haku even with the Hidden Mist jutsu active.

Days passed to weeks, and weeks passed to months, and though the genin were still doing only D-rank missions with the occasional C-rank, none of the missions seemed to have the pep of the Wave mission. Kiba found himself pacing in irritation one day, three months later, saying "I don't have anything against helping out the people of the Leaf, but I want to go on another exciting mission like the Wave mission!"

"I don't know," Chouji said as he ate his chips. "Anything is better than cleaning the same house for a month. Despite all the secrets that the Fourth's house has, we ended up not learning anything else while we were there."

Sakura sighed. "Yeah, and it's too bad. I wanted to figure it out so bad, too. But we can't go back in there now, since our teamwork is much better than it used to be."

All three of them sighed, but they didn't notice Kurenai and Asuma watching them. "Asuma, should we get another C-rank mission for them? They seem to be bored with all the D-rank missions, which makes sense since we've done most of the usual ones, and since it's been pretty peaceful this fall I think a change of scenery would help."

"It would, but only temporarily," Asuma replied. "They don't want another C-rank mission; they want another Wave mission, if I read their lips right, and that's impossible, even if we were to raise their rank to chunin."

"Speaking of which, when's the next one?" Kurenai asked.

"Spring, and it's being held here. The one going on right now is in Cloud, which isn't exactly the best place for even our most experienced genin to be right now," Asuma said. "They're still sore about the whole Byakugan incident eight years back. Today's the... 9th, right?"

"Yeah, October the Ninth. Why do you ask?"

"We need to talk to Saito, as well as our own genin." Asuma looked up at the clouds as he continued. "Naruto's turning thirteen tomorrow, and you know how that usually goes. I doubt he'll have any trouble now, since he's a ninja, but I do remember it being a lonely time for him, and I'd rather him not go through that again."

Kurenai nodded in agreement. "You go get Saito; I'll get Anko."

A few minutes later all of the jonin were assembled. "I assume this is about the Fox Festival and what it coincides with?" Anko asked. "No worries; I'll keep the rowdy crowds out of his hair tomorrow."

"It's more than just that, Anko," Asuma said. "I want Naruto to know what a real birthday is like. Ichiraku agrees and isn't going to have the diner open tomorrow during dinnertime, since he'll be joining us in celebrating his birthday. The question is, what should we do?"

"A dinner at a nice restaurant would be good, I think," Yuugao suggested. "We should probably keep him away from the festival areas as much as possible, but if we can contain him to some of the booths in the nicer districts... definitely need to dress him up."

"I can find him a good yukata for the festival. Nothing orange, obviously. Might need to cover up the birth marks, too," Kakashi said.

Kurenai looked over at him and said, "Let me know what you find, so I can get a matching one for Hinata."

"Why's that?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, I thought it might be nice for Naruto and Hinata to dress alike," Kurenai responded. "No one will mess with Naruto, especially if he looks like he's with the Hyuuga heiress, right?

"We'll all be there with him, so I doubt it'll happen, but I'll look anyway," Kakashi responded, though he doubted in his mind that Naruto's safety was Kurenai's only motive.

"I have an idea," Anko said. "All day tomorrow, Naruto will spend some time with one friend, and they'll switch out after their time is up. Hinata will be the last, and she'll take him to the restaurant, where we'll all surprise him."

"Excellent idea, Anko," Asuma responded. "Alright, we'll go with that. Make sure your students know about the plan and have a good yukata for this, not to mention birthday gifts. We'll meet up tomorrow morning to launch the plan."

"Understood!" they all responded, and with that they dispersed.

…

Naruto, for his part, looked sullen as he exercised with Rock Lee. Lee finally took notice and asked, "Naruto, surely your flames of youth burn low today, and this is very much unlike you! Tell me, what has happened?"

"Ah, nothin', Lee..." Naruto muttered as he began his one-arm pushups. "Just not feeling it today..."

"Ah, that cannot be good!" Lee exclaimed. "If I cannot help fan your flames of youth, I shall do one thousand extra pushups with each arm. And if I cannot do that, I shall run a hundred laps around the village on my hands! If I cannot-"

"It's fine, Lee. Really, it's fine," Naruto snapped, tired of Lee's loud voice. "I think I'm just going to exercise alone." He got up and picked up his jacket as he left. "Sorry..."

Lee watched him go, still holding himself up with one arm, and said to himself, "Naruto is in far worse shape than I'd thought. I must go investigate!"

Naruto wandered around the village aimlessly, not walking fast or anything, but was lost in his thoughts even as he kept himself aware of his surroundings. He made sure to keep out of the busier sections of the village, which meant no Ichiraku or Hokage. He thought about seeing Hinata, but since it wasn't a training day he didn't want to call her out, especially since she was probably busy with her family. He'd noticed her with her father and sister one day at the park, which surprised him because he'd never seen Hiashi outside of their home. He'd watched as Hinata talked and laughed, how Hiashi would talk back in a much more relaxed voice than he'd remembered, and how Hinata's little sister ('Geeze, I wish I could remember what her name was... Hinata keeps telling me, but I keep forgetting') had looked confused at first but began to warm up to the idea of taking a little time off for a family lunch. His chest had started hurting, so he'd left before Hinata could notice him. Since then he saw her less outside of team meetings, which had left him feeling more like he remembered as feeling before team placements. Shikamaru was always busy, too, between learning his family's jutsu and learning swordsmanship from Yuugao. Haku was always busy, and Zabuza wouldn't let them hang out anyway. He could never find Saito, so that was a dead-end. In fact, the only person he'd been hanging out with lately was Rock Lee, who seemed to always have time for him even while he was training, and now he was getting tired of that too. He found himself sitting on top of the Fourth Hokage's head, staring out over the whole village. "I wish that I had a family... I wish people didn't hate me... " For a moment, he looked over the edge and contemplated the sensation of falling a great height and landing on trees and eventually the ground, wondering if the spike-like tops of the trees would skewer him and leave him to bleed to death from a large stab wound, or if he would fall on branches and they would break his fall so that, when he landed on the ground, he'd be in pain and agony but alive.

"If you even try, brat, I'll keep you alive just so you can feel the pain of your own stupidity."

Naruto's head shot up and he looked around, saying "Who said that?"

"Naruto!" a different voice rang out as, from across the heads, Lee and a few others waved at him. "Come on, let's go hang out together!"

Relieved to know it was only Lee, he ran over and joined him. With him were Sasuke and Kiba, who had heard of Naruto's emotional state and dropped what they were doing to come by. They hung out much later than they'd intended that night, and Naruto went to sleep happy with what had happened. 'Still,' he wondered as he drifted off to sleep, 'I wonder what that first voice was... sounded kind of familiar' He heard what he thought he imagined as being a dark-sounding chuckle, but he shrugged it off as he slept.

…

The next day, Naruto awoke to the smell of cooking eggs, bacon, and other morning foods. Shaking off his sleep, he walked from his bedroom into the kitchen area of the main room and saw Haku and Zabuza cooking breakfast for him. "Good morning, Haku, Zabuza. I'm glad to see you two, but why did you decide to pop in?"

"We heard it was your birthday, Naruto," Haku replied, "so we decided to do something for you."

"Eggs are ready," Zabuza announced. "That's everything, right?"

"Yes, Father. The bacon and hash browns are keeping warm in the oven right now, so pull those out and start fixing the plates." Haku finished juicing some oranges and set the pitcher on the table before pulling out a bowl of fruit salad. Quickly the two had the plates ready and they sat down at Naruto's small table to enjoy breakfast.

"Thank you very much for doing this," Naruto said as he bowed and joined them.

Haku smiled and nodded. "You're welcome, Naruto. It's the least we could do, really."

After they ate breakfast, talking about various things over it (Naruto found out that Zabuza was selected to become one of the proctors of the upcoming Chunin Exam), Kakashi knocked on the door. Naruto let him in and asked, "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, what brings you around here?"

"Well, Saito and I were talking, and we agree that you need a new wardrobe," Kakashi explained. "So, in honor of your birthday, we're going to start with a new yukata for the festival."

"Uh, thanks, but that's not really necessary. I'm not big into parties, you know. Lots of training to do so that I can become Hokage, right?" Naruto said.

"Yes, but there's another aspect of training you sorely need. Social interaction. Do you see the Hokage out in the training fields all day? No, he has duties that include signing laws and other such things that he does in his office. In addition, though, he has a duty to be among the people and to help them whenever he can, so often during the afternoon he'll stroll along the streets in disguise while a Shadow Clone does any paperwork he has," Kakashi responded. "Today we're going to work on blending into the crowd, and we're going to do it without any jutsu."

"Wow, really? That'd be cool!" Naruto responded. "What are we going to do?"

"First," Kakashi began as he tossed a box at Naruto, who caught it, "go get changed. It's tailored to fit you perfectly, so don't worry about it being too big or small."

"Uh, okay, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto replied as he turned and went into the bathroom.

Kakashi looked over at Zabuza, who nodded. Both of them had grown rather fond of each other, mainly because they both wore masks, and they eventually became known as the Masque Duo. Everyone tried to watch them as they ate, but it seemed as if the masks never came off, and it had generated a lot of buzz. Even Haku didn't know what Zabuza looked like without his mask, but she didn't really care, since he'd been wearing it ever since she could remember.

Naruto came out, wearing a blue kimono with small spirals etched into the fabric. "It doesn't have any orange, but it's pretty cool! Comfortable, too. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"

"The design was Saito's idea. He figured you liked them since you have a giant one stitched onto your jacket. I must say, you look more mature wearing that," Kakashi responded. "Right, Haku?"

"Definitely. A few more inches in height and he'll look like he's in my age group," Haku replied, chuckling as Naruto blushed lightly.

"He's growing good enough," Kakashi said. "It'll catch up in no time. The next part is to get the face part of your disguise right." He pulled out some cream and began applying it to Naruto's cheeks. "You have some very recognizable birthmarks, Naruto, so you'll stand out if you don't wear something over your cheeks. I'd color your hair black, but I don't think we need a second Sasuke." He finished and admired his work; the marks were completely invisible. "Perfect." He held up a mirror. "What do you think?"

"Wow, I look almost like the Fourth Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed. Zabuza blinked in surprise and examined him more closely, while Haku just looked on in confusion.

Kakashi nodded, not answering Naruto's remark on purpose. "Anyway, I have to jet, but Ino's outside. She wants to hang out with you." His trademarked eye-smile appeared. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"That doesn't leave out much..." Zabuza muttered under his breath as he stood up. "Go tend to your guest, Naruto; we'll clean and lock up behind us."

"Alright. Will you two be around later today?" Naruto asked.

Haku shrugged. "I don't know. Yamato-sensei wants to train some more today, and Father has planning to do. I'll try to find you when I get a break, okay?"

"Alright. I'll see you two later!" Naruto said

As soon as he stepped out, everyone stopped and stared. One woman went "It's the Fourth Hokage, back from the dead!" and ran for what she thought was her life, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Weird..." Naruto muttered as he walked down to Ino. "So, Ino, what brings you around here?"

"Well, I was thinking about how I never thanked you for saving us back at the bridge, so I kind of wanted to make it up to you," Ino replied; while what she said was true, she knew she had to keep the plan a secret. "Let's go check out some of the shops!"

Naruto nodded, and they began to explore. No one recognized him, to his relief, but a few looked at him with curiosity. As he went from friend to friend, whispers began to develop that were kept just out of range of Naruto's hearing. By the time he'd finished lunch with Shikamaru, who had done a double-take when Naruto walked into the Ichiraku diner, the rumors began to be told in hushed noises that were just loud enough for Naruto to hear. Things like "Is he the Fourth Hokage, back from the dead?" or "Is he a relative of the Fourth?" or even "Who is that guy? I feel like I've seen him before..." reached him, but he paid them no mind as the day wore on.

Finally, Sasuke hugged Naruto good-by and left him with Hinata. They both noticed that they were wearing the same print, though her yukata's color was lavender. "You look great, Hinata! Your yukata matches your eyes!"

"Thank you, Naruto. You look handsome," Hinata replied, smiling from ear to ear and blushing lightly. In the back of his mind, Naruto quickly realized that Hinata was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, and immediately determined in himself to see her more like this. "Let's go, Naruto."

"Oh, uh, okay, Hinata!" Naruto said, knowing he was probably blushing as he linked arms with Hinata and strolled down the streets with her. It had become twilight, and the festival lanterns were now lit, making the festival look even greater. There were many different vendors selling foods and chances to win prizes by playing their games, among other things. The first game they tried was the goldfish scoop, and it was frustrating Naruto because the goldfish would fall through the paper. Hinata held his hand and slowly moved the scooper, pulling up a goldfish and lowering it into their bag-tank. As the vendor gave Naruto a week's worth of fish food, Naruto made a mental note to get some books on keeping goldfish pets. The next one was a shooting contest. Naruto smirked to himself and took up the toy crossbow and, after aligning his shot, nailed the demon fox in the background. As he whooped in triumph, he vaguely felt a knot in his stomach, but he ignored it as he got a large fox plush, one that looked cute rather than menacing, and gave it to Hinata. After an hour of this, both Hinata's and Naruto's stomachs were growling, to their mutual embarrassment. "So, uh, Hinata, where would you like to eat tonight?" He'd remembered the conversation he had with Haku and decided this would be a good night to try.

"Well, how about that place?" Hinata said as she pointed to a restaurant close by, which had already been determined to be where Naruto would receive his birthday party. The inside looked like it had been closed, but the sign said 'Open'.

Naruto smiled and bowed, saying "As milady wishes." He'd been reading a heroic fiction tale recently and decided to try a line. He got the reaction he was looking for, as when he looked up Hinata was blushing deeply and smiling. Linking her arm with his again, Naruto led her into the restaurant.

"Good evening, sir and madam. Table for two tonight?" a prim and proper waiter intoned.

Before Naruto could say anything, Hinata said, "We have a reservation. Look under the name 'Hyuuga'."

"Ah, of course, Madame Hyuuga! Why, I should smite my own eyes for not recognizing you! Please, follow me." Naruto tried hard to keep himself from laughing as the waiter took them to the back of the restaurant, where a door to a back room was. "Please, enjoy yourselves!" With that, the waiter disappeared into the back.

Naruto was glad that he'd kept a kunai hidden up his sleeve as he slowly opened the door; he'd learned long ago to be cautious of going into a dark room. To his surprise, he didn't even need to draw it, for as soon as he opened the door and turned the lights on, all of the Rookie Nine and their teachers, plus the Third Hokage, Iruka, the Ichiraku family, Haku, and Zabuza (only at Haku's insistence; he disliked parties with a passion), jumped out and shouted "Happy Birthday!" Naruto nearly dropped the goldfish in the plastic bag if Hinata hadn't quickly started pulling him into the room. All of them began hugging him and repeatedly shouting "Happy Birthday, Naruto!" and "Welcome to the party!" and other such things.

Sarutobi spoke up as soon as Naruto was in the middle of the group, saying as the other voices hushed, "Welcome to your thirteenth birthday party, Naruto. We wanted you to know how much we love you and enjoy having you around, so we decided to throw a surprise party." Seeing that Naruto was practically swamped, he clapped his hands and said, "Alright, everyone, back up a bit so the birthday boy can have some air."

As they did so, he could see that Naruto was crying with happiness and shock as he said, "Really? You did all of this, just for me? But what about spending the day with your families?"

"Meh, we hang around them almost all the time anyway," Kiba said. "We should be allowed to at least spend some time with our friends, especially on their birthdays." Everyone agreed immediately.

"*sniff* Thank you, everyone!" Naruto said, breaking down into a pool of happy tears as everyone hugged him again. Once the boy had stopped crying, they all sat down to a large meal, paid for in part by everyone there, and then had cake and ice cream. Naruto found himself enjoying this meal far more than any meal he'd ever had, and was easily swamped with gifts of various kinds. Rock Lee, who had been unable to attend because his team had been called on a mission, had left him a new pair of training weights and a promise to hold a party for him tomorrow, together with Gai-sensei and Tenten, and another promise that if he forgot or did not "follow through, I shall buy one hundred gallons of ice cream for you, and if I cannot do that I shall build a whole dojo for you to practice in, and if..."; at that point the pen seemed to have been ripped violently from his hands and was continued by a much neater hand that said "Don't doubt that he'll try to do all that and more, but I'll try to keep him tied down to earth for you; enjoy my self-published book on weapon mastery!" He knew immediately that Tenten had written it and chuckled to himself. 'Those four are too much like a family; I wonder if they realize it...' The next gift had been a fire-type jutsu scroll from Sasuke, which detailed the advantages and disadvantages of the Phoenix Flower jutsu, the hand signs to use it, and the amount of chakra it should take to maximize its power and area-coverage. Sakura had gotten him some cologne, and Ino (who knew he liked gardening) bought him a variety of flower seeds. Shikamaru got him a chess set and made Naruto promise that they would play together often. Kiba's present, which apparently was from the whole Inuzuka clan, was a month's worth of free passes to the hot-spring bathhouse's private pool. Shino, as per Naruto's prediction, got him an encyclopedia on bugs, though he made it a point to mention that there were "many bugs that are hostile to gardens as well as those which are helpful, so it should come in good use outside of missions too." Naruto thanked him and then opened Chouji's present. Inside was a large recipe book that contained easy-to-cook meals that were both "nutritious and delicious," as Chouji put it.

Haku's present was similar to Sasuke's, except it was an advanced water-type jutsu scroll that depicted how the Water Dragon jutsu worked (Zabuza mentally made it a point to figure out when she had the opportunity to get her hands on the scroll that held his second-favorite jutsu). The Third Hokage promised to personally train him the day after the next day (he knew that Naruto would likely spend the whole day with the ever-energetic Rock Lee). Saito and the other jonin presented him with an entire new wardrobe of clothes and made him promise to, with the exception of one orange jacket, get rid of his old attire. To his delight, a battle robe did have orange on it, but they were orange flames on a black background; this robe also had his spiral woven into the chest as his insignia. He later found out that the inside of it had special seals woven on it that allowed him to carry a lot of spare kunai that he could call on mid-battle. The material itself was a rare fiber that the strongest armors were made of and was impenetrable to anything except the strongest fire jutsu or an enchanted sword; it wasn't rare, of course, because the materials that comprised it were rare, but because few people knew how to weave them to create the composite fiber. The Ichiraku family had come up with a new flavor of ramen and named it the "Uzumaki Special".

At the end, Naruto was left speechless and, nearly bursting into tears again, said "I don't deserve any of this... thank you all so much!" Once again, there were hugs and tears all around, and the rest of the evening was filled with much joy and celebration.

Unfortunately, things went south from there. When they had returned from the restaurant, they were greeted by an ugly sight: a drunken crowd was standing outside Naruto's apartment door, banging on the door so hard it looked like it was about to cave in. "Come on out and face judgment, monster!" one person shouted, another screamed "You'll pay for killing my son, you demon!", while still others shouted "Let's break the door down and destroy everything, then kill him when he gets back. We'll teach him to not bring disaster on this great city!" Naruto had, at this point, immediately bailed and fled for his life out of reflex, and as the Hokage and the jonin approached the oblivious crowd, he turned into an alley a short distance away.

The Hokage made a motion and the jonin dispersed themselves to cut off escape routes, then spoke to the crowd. "Dear people, why must you defy my law? Must I repeat myself every year? And now you are threatening the life of one of my soldiers. You know both laws, and what they both call for!"

The crowd, realizing that the Hokage had heard every word, tried to disperse, but found themselves blocked completely. "Why must you defend that monst-augh!"

"Traitor dealt with, my lord," Yuugao, who'd slipped her ANBU mask on, stated as the man who'd previously spoken fell before her, silent as the grave. "Permission to carry out your orders?"

"Those who defy my laws must be dealt with swiftly and justly; I, the Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, declare that all who seek the death of one of their own are traitors, and the punishment for traitors is death." As the Hokage raised his hand to give the signal, many people in the crowd were down on their knees, begging for mercy in their half-drunken state. Pausing, the Hokage asked, "Why should I grant mercy to those who would not show mercy on a child?"

"But he's not a child!" a man shouted. "He's a de-ugh!" This time, the masked Kakashi cut his throat open and let the man bleed to death.

"Please, don't listen to him! We won't bother the mo- er, the boy anymore!" several of them shouted. Apparently the stench of death was a good way to sober people up.

The Hokage sighed and lowered his arm. "I shall overlook the death sentence tonight, but understand that all of you are under a permanent watch-list. If I find out that any of you are harassing him in ANY way, and that includes such things as buying food, ALL of you will be held accountable for tonight's event and bring swift justice, as surely as one would amputate a diseased foot or hand in order to save the body from death. Do I make myself clear!?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" the crowd shouted.

The Hokage nodded and the jonin disappeared. Immediately the crowd dispersed and went back to their own dwellings. "I'm far too soft in my old age... I need to find a new Hokage, and soon."

"Nonsense, Lord Hokage," Kurenai said as she came out of hiding. "You made your point very clear; I doubt this will continue anymore."

"All things being equal, Kurenai, I will not have any of my men in danger from their own countrymen," the Hokage said as he looked around. "Where is Naruto?"

They all looked around, but Kiba (thanks to his nose) found him first. "He's over there, in that alley, sir!" They all ran over and saw Naruto curled up in a ball, crying tears that weren't of happiness but rather of grief, relived pain, and frustration. "Naruto... come on, bro, they're gone."

He went to help them up, but Naruto flinched involuntarily and ran further into the alley. Hinata, forgetting all protocol, ran up to him and hugged him tightly, ignoring how Naruto curled up even tighter, and whispered "It's me, Naruto... it's Hinata. I'm here for you... we're all here for you. Please... don't do this..."

"Lord Hokage, why is Naruto like this? Why was that crowd after him?" Sasuke asked, while the other genin echoed their confusion.

The Hokage sighed and said, "I cannot tell any of you why, until you attain at least the rank of chunin. Let's just say that old age often brings more mistakes than more wisdom; it's likely why most ninja don't live into their fortieth years." Shikamaru, of course, was busy trying to put all of this together, but no one noticed him in his thinking posture as their attention turned back to Naruto.

As she cried, Hinata kept mumbling "Please, come back..." A tear fell and hit Naruto's neck; this new sensation woke Naruto up and he looked around. Seeing Hinata in tears, he turned and hugged her tightly; the two clung to each other, both saying "I'm sorry" repeatedly. The others could only stand and watch with a mixture of emotions, not the least of which was rage at the people who'd made Naruto feel as he did.

At that point, the Hokage walked over and pulled the both of them into a hug, which they responded to in earnest, and quickly they were surrounded and hugged in a giant group hug by the others. After a few minutes, the Hokage dismissed all of them to go back home, but he stayed with Naruto; Hinata was the hardest to get rid of, but the Hokage finally managed to nurse her to sleep and sent her home in Yuugao's arms. He then took Naruto, along with his stuff, into his apartment and sat him down in the recliner in his living room. As he went into the kitchen to make tea, he said "Naruto, why did you hide?"

"I don't know..." Naruto replied miserably. "Something in my head took over and I found myself running into the alley. All I could hear and see was the screaming of the crowd, going 'Monster! Demon!' and fists coming at me from every side."

"..." The Hokage couldn't bear the mental image and shook it off as he brought some cups, filled to the brim with a relaxing blend of tea, and gave one cup to Naruto. "I am sorry you've had to endure so much injustice... I've done you a grave harm."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. "How did you harm me? You weren't out there with torches and pitchforks, if you know what I mean."

"But I did nothing to protect you from their grief-driven anger; in fact, they know what they blame you for because, on this day thirteen years ago, I made the foolish decision of telling them why you are a hero, thinking that they would treat you as well as they treated the Fourth Hokage, but obviously they didn't," Sarutobi said as he took off his hat, set it aside, and knelt on the ground in shamed penitence. "Please forgive me, Naruto." He was surprised when Naruto got up and hugged him.

"It's not your fault! I know you probably can't tell me, but if it's as bad as it sounds then I'll endure it," Naruto said. "Please don't kneel to me; it's not right!" After a few moments they separated and sat back down. "I do want to know, though... what's this terrible secret that has so many people out to kill me?"

"Unfortunately, I'm bound by law to not tell anyone who isn't at the rank of chunin or above, not even you," the Hokage responded. "Once you start making exceptions, law and order begins to break down. That is why I had to kill tonight, and why I couldn't tell the people who care dearly about you why you were in such torment. I will say this much, though; that secret is only one half of the puzzle, and the other half far surpasses the first in magnitude. I will also say that once I can tell you the second half, I know you will be leaping for joy all around my office and the entire village with your unstoppable energy." Noticing the time, the Hokage stood up and said, "It's bedtime now. We've been up too long today, and given the fun time you had with your friends you'll fall asleep as soon as your head hits your pillow."

"Please stay!" Naruto begged as he jumped up and clung to Sarutobi. "At least until I do fall asleep!"

"Alright, Naruto," Sarutobi said as he smiled down at Naruto with fatherly kindness, "I'll stay until you fall asleep. Would you like to hear a story, once you're settled into your bed?"

"Definitely!" Naruto responded. He ran off and got ready for bed. A couple of minutes later he shouted from his room, saying "I'm ready!"

Sarutobi chuckled as he went in; Naruto was already in his pajamas and under his covers. "Did you brush your teeth, clean your face and hands, and make sure to put on fresh linens?"

"Yup!" Naruto replied. "What are you going to read tonight?"

"You'll see... I think you'll like it," Sarutobi said. He sat down in a chair next to the bed and pulled out a book. "This was written by Jiraiya when he was my student."

"Really? He's an author, too? This is going to be awesome!" Naruto commented as he settled into his bed. Sarutobi began to read the story, which he continued reading long after Naruto had fallen asleep. Finally he looked over at the peacefully-sleeping Naruto and whispered, "Your father would be proud of you for overcoming the trials you've had... Rest well, Gutsy Ninja Naruto."

The next day saw the village in an uproar. The executed criminals were buried unceremoniously, and the citizens were truly frightened. The Hokage, who had made an announcement early that morning that a couple of people had tried to murder someone in cold blood, but that he had brought down the swift hammer of justice. Eventually, because of his plea that none "should even want to think ill of their brother, let alone want to kill them", adding that "this great city is built on love rather than hate", everyone that knew what had happened knew that the Hokage would not give out any more grace, and those who didn't were glad that the Hokage did not tolerate excessive violence or 'traitors'. All, by the end of the day, took the Hokage's message to heart.


	2. Chapter 2

Six months had passed since the incident, and the Leaf Village's turn to host the Chunin Exam had come. It was still peaceful in the village, but soon genin teams from the other nations would be entering the city and assembling in the Academy, which served as the place for the first portion of the Exam. All of the teaching jonin were lined up in the Hokage's office, waiting for the Hokage to speak.

"Are you all certain of this?" the Hokage asked.

"I am, sir," Saito replied. "I do not expect any Leaf genin to pass this year, but I do believe they should at least experience it, in order for them to begin to gauge their progress in both their teamwork and individual aspects." All of the other jonin nodded their heads in agreement.

"You do remember how dangerous the Forest of Death, right? That's where most of the genin are 'weeded out'," the Hokage noted.

"Not our charges," Gai replied confidently. "Surely we've been training them hard enough to take even the jonin exam by now. I cannot agree with my colleague's stance that none of them will be promoted; I am certain that, at least, all three of my students will pass."

"Your confidence is noted, Gai, but please consider the teamwork portion," Saito countered. "I have heard of Neji's increased isolation from Lee and Tenten, which likely began as relations improved between Lord Hiashi and Hinata. While things have improved between Hinata and her father, I have reason to believe that Neji still holds a lot of animosity towards her. He could very well use the second and third portions of the exam to put her down, possibly permanently."

Asuma looked over at Saito and raised an eyebrow. "That's a major accusation to throw at someone, Saito."

"Well, Asuma, when someone is witness to a severe one-sided beating that goes beyond the norms of a sparring match, you'll understand my caution," Saito replied. "There haven't been any since team placements, but Naruto made it very clear to me what was going on when he walked in on one of their matches." Turning to the Hokage, he said, "If Gai is positive about entering his team, then I am pulling my recommendation for my team to experience this exam."

The Hokage thought about it, but shook his head. "During the second portion many people will be after all of our Leaf ninja, and if Neji is as much of a genius as he believes he is, he will force himself to defend your team along with any of the other Leaf teams due to lack of choice. As for during the third portion, I will be there to supervise as well, and be sure that I will call the match if it looks like Neji will attempt permanent harm."

"There's also Naruto, sir... do recall the Wave mission and what occurred. If Naruto went berserk when Sasuke 'died', how much more so will he want to avenge Hinata if she is even nearly murdered?" Saito responded. "Obviously we jonin will be there quick enough to restrain Neji, but can we even stop Naruto?"

"I trust Naruto will not so easily give in," the Hokage responded. "He values his team above his own life, sure, but he has a strong will to resist any influence the Fox might be trying to force on him. Just to be sure, though, all jonin will be armed with the same tag that contained the demon chakra last time."

"... Yes, sir." Saito stepped back in line with the other jonin and stood at attention. "Objection recalled."

"Thank you. Besides, I doubt that any of the genin are ready for this exam yet. Perhaps next year when it's hosted in the Sand Village, they will be ready to take it for real. If any of them make it past the preliminaries, I want you all to pull them from the competition. Understood?" the Hokage stated.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" the jonin replied. With that, the meeting was dismissed and all of the jonin dispersed to meet with their students.

The Hokage turned to the window as a breeze kicked up. "Jiraiya, what's the word?"

"Nothing conclusive, sensei. The Sound Village is new and active, but no one has ever even seen the Otokage in person; only his personal enforcers have. Also, it seems that they've been welcoming in rogue ninja from other villages to join their ranks," Jiraiya noted. "If I were a gambling man (which I'm not, since Tsunade has that covered for the both of us) I'd wager that the Otokage is, in fact, Orochimaru, and he plans on using the Exam to infiltrate the Leaf and launch an invasion of some kind. Rumors also state of dignitaries moving between Sound and Sand, which is no surprise if I know my old teammate. The leader of Wind Country has been funneling many missions from Sand to us, and no doubt they're upset about that right now."

"Agreed. I've been trying to meet with Sand's Kage, but with no success," the Hokage replied. "If they're upset enough, I don't doubt that they'd ally with Sound to get those missions back and make life better for the Sand Village. We'd best be prepared for several genin from both."

"That's the thing, sir; both Sand and Sound are sending one genin team each to take the exam. Seems kind of small, which is perfect for an infiltration team," Jiraiya said.

"Set up escort missions for the Sand and Sound teams, then; we already have teams of chunin escorting Rock and Cloud teams, so they'll have to be escorted by our genin teams," the Hokage ordered.

"Understood." Jiraiya stepped out to make the necessary preparations.

…

At the border between Fire Country and Wind Country, Team Ten stood and looked out across the desert in front of them. Wind Country was mostly desert and rock, so there were few towns and such, but the people who lived there were known for their toughness and determination. Because of this, Saito wasn't as surprised as Naruto and the others when the jonin who led the Sand's lone genin team to the Leaf was a hulk of a man who seemed to be the lot to say little and smile less. The tallest of the male genin was dressed in a spandex-like suit and wore kabuki makeup on his face. The female was the most normal in terms of dress, but the giant fan she carried on her back and her stern expression told far more. The smallest of the genin, however, was by far the most interesting one there. His gaze was blank and emotionless, yet held a hidden caution to all who would even approach him. He dressed almost as sensibly as his sister (short sleeves make far more sense in a desert than spandex), yet they seemed to be mere rags that he couldn't care less about. The gourd on his shoulders was the most interesting thing about him: it looked like a normal jug for holding water, but it looked far too big for a boy his size to carry. Saito held out his hand as the Sand team crossed over and their Sand escort turned to leave, saying "Welcome to the Land of Fire. I am Saito Hajime; it's an honor to escort you to the Leaf Village."

The other jonin reached out and shook Saito's hand with such a crushing grip that for a moment Saito's hand looked white as a ghost. "Call me Baki. This is my team: Kankuro" the spandex-clad one nodded, "Temari" the girl nodded, "and Gaara of the Sand" the boy nodded so vaguely that Naruto wondered if his head had moved at all. "Thank you for welcoming us to your prestigious lands. Let us continue on our way; I wish to have us there before sundown." With Saito's silent approval, the two teams started out. Saito walked two steps ahead of Baki, while the two teams trailed behind a bit.

"Hello, Kankuro! My name is Naruto!" Naruto said as he tried to shake the boy's hand.

"..." Kankuro looked at him with a mixed expression of suspicion and curiosity. "Are you always this cheerful?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "I don't know. Never noticed it until you asked." Seeing that he was going to get little success, he moved over to the girl. "Pleased to meet you!"

"Boy, I don't have time to play games with you right now," Temari snapped. "Go play ninja somewhere else." Her eyes never shifted to look at him as they walked. Feeling frustration, Naruto started to drop back, but her hand suddenly whipped out and yanked him closer. Whispering, she said, "Don't even think of talking to Gaara, unless you want to turn into a bloody mess of crushed bone on the ground. Trust me on this."

"Why should I take your advice when you just snubbed me five seconds ago?" Naruto whispered back.

"Because once his bloodlust is awakened he won't stop until we're all dead, and I can guarantee you that we WILL all be dead," Temari responded. "I won't have you jeopardizing my life just because you feel like being friendly." She then shoved him to the side and continued forward. Naruto, not knowing what to do, simply stayed silent as they walked quickly.

The walk ended up being very oppressive, and Team Ten couldn't wait to be dismissed as they entered the Leaf Village with their escort. As soon as they made it to the Hokage Tower and were dismissed, they all scattered but shortly afterward met up at their training field. Naruto was the first to speak, saying "Geeze, what did I do wrong? The ninja-cat was rude, but the girl was worse! Then she tells me not to make friends with the other one, saying that we would die quickly. I think he's just shy and they've bullied him into not talking at all."

"I don't know, Naruto..." Shikamaru replied. "Temari looked dead serious as she spoke, as if she'd seen it happen before. Plus, didn't you see the signs practically screaming 'Look at me and you're dead' posted all around Gaara? There's something dangerous about him..." He frowned thoughtfully and muttered "I know I've felt it before, but where...?"

Hinata nodded, saying "I know how you feel, Naruto, but I think that for the time being we should avoid them, if only until we get more information."

"I suppose so..." Naruto muttered before he looked down at his watch. "Oh, no! I promised I'd play ninja with Konohamaru and his friends today! I'll be back in a bit!" With that, he dashed off to find the pint-sized heir to the Sarutobi family name.

Shikamaru blinked and looked at Hinata, saying "'Play' ninja?" Hinata could only shrug in response as they watched their friend run off.

The blond ninja sighed in relief as he spotted a square-shaped rock that had eye-holes cut out. "Gee, I wonder where Konohamaru could be? Surely he wouldn't use a square-shaped rock to hide under, or cut obvious eye-holes out to see with?"

"You found me out, Boss!" Suddenly smoke surrounded the box and three coughs could be distinguished. "Aw, man!"

"I told you that you used too much black powder!" a nasal tone rang out, between coughs, from the smoke as it disappeared. The bespectacled boy looked over at Konohamaru and frowned. "If you'd listened to me, we'd still have some of our allowance!"

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Konohamaru replied. "I didn't know it was so strong!"

"Boys, knock it off! Naruto's here now!" the girl said, stopping the argument immediately. "What took you so long, Naruto?"

"A mission came up. I'm sorry, guys, but I'm here now, right?" Naruto said. "Let's get training!"

"Naruto, are you really playing ninja with kids?" Sakura said as she walked up. "Don't you have any real training to do, especially since we have to get ready for the exam!"

"Hey, Naruto, is she your girlfriend?" Konohamaru asked. "Come on, you could do better! She's loud, bossy, and flat!" Naruto had been trying to cut him off, but the boy didn't listen until the both of them could feel a murderous aura.

"'Flat'? I'll show you flat when I pound your face into the ground!" Sakura shrieked as she began chasing Naruto and Konohamaru, who ran for dear life.

"Why'd you have to go there?" Naruto shouted.

"How was I supposed to know that she was sensitive to that?" Konohamaru replied. He quickly rounded a corner and ran into something that stopped him dead-cold and made him fall to the ground.

Kankuro turned and picked up the boy. "Hey, squirt, you gonna say sorry?!"

At that moment Naruto and Sakura rounded the corner. Sakura, forgetting her anger at the moment, said "Put him down right now!"

"Not a chance, pinky," Kankuro replied.

"Kankuro, you're embarrassing us. Put the brat down," Temari said as she walked up.

"No way, Temari. He ran into me, so I'm gonna learn him a lesson he's never gonna forget!" Kankuro wound up to punch Konohamaru, but was distracted when a rock sailed out of the air and hit him in the head.

"I don't know what your business is here, but I guarantee you that things will go bad once the Hokage finds out that you beat up his grandson," Sasuke said from his perch in the tree.

Kankuro dropped Konohamaru, spun around and began to speak, but he turned white as a ghost as he saw, right under Sasuke, Gaara hanging from underneath a branch. "Kankuro... leave. Now."

"Y-Y-Y-Yes, of course, Gaara!" the spandex-clad boy stammered as he ran off, shocking Naruto and the others completely.

Gaara looked at Naruto with a piercing gaze. "Naruto... Mother has no interest in your blood." Turning to Sasuke, who had jumped down, he said "Your blood smells interesting. What is your name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke of the Leaf Village," Sasuke replied. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"They're here for the Chunin Exam, Sasuke!" Naruto replied as he moved to stand next to him.

"Uchiha Sasuke..." Gaara muttered. "Your blood will satisfy Mother. I look forward to killing you..." With that, he disappeared in a swirl of sand.

"... What on earth was that?" Sasuke said as he turned to Naruto.

Naruto had grown pale and a familiar feeling grew in his stomach. "It's a good thing they warned me beforehand... that guy is insane. How could they let someone like him be a ninja?"

"'They'? Naruto, what are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"They're the genin team from the Sand Village. We escorted them from the border," Naruto replied. "To tell the truth, I'd rather deal with the two rude ones now, since they at least warned me."

"We'll need to be careful..." Sasuke muttered. "I have a feeling that he means every word he said."

"Yeah..." Naruto replied. Unknown to the two boys, Sakura had already fainted from fear of the red-headed boy.

…

"Curious..." Gaara mumbled to himself as the Sand team sat in their hotel room.

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other and began whispering to each other; the first said "I wonder what's got Gaara in such deep thought? This isn't normal... well, for him..."

"I'm not gonna ask him," Kankuro replied.

Temari sighed and said, "Chicken..." Turning to the red-haired boy in the center of the room, she opened her mouth to speak but saw a bit of sand leak out of his gourd and thought the better of it. Turning back to Kankuro, the two of them decided to make a strategic retreat. "Gaara, we're going out to get something to eat. Would you like anything?"

Gaara's answer was curt. "No." The two needed no other sign that they needed to get out of there, and so they did. Gaara took no further notice of them or the noise that they made, his thoughts practically consumed by the pink-haired girl who had been with Naruto and Sasuke. "... I wonder if Mother wants her blood, too..." The feeling in his gut gave him a 'negative' response, which confused Gaara. "Surely Mother does, though; Sasuke was strong, but all I can see is the pink-haired girl's face..." Another 'negative' feeling followed, and Gaara spent the rest of the day in confused silence.

…

Sai and Haku walked down a street together, relieved to be away from the Sound Team they'd been escorting. Sai could not remember many emotions, but one he knew well was apprehension, which he remembered to heed as often as possible. "They are up to no good, for sure," Sai commented expressionlessly.

"I know, Sai... but Yamato-sensei says we can't do anything about it until the exam starts," Haku replied. "What I want to know is who those four who had escorted the team to the border are. They looked about our age, and yet were introduced as jonin."

"Itachi was an ANBU Captain when he was thirteen," Sai reminded her. "Surely such is not an isolated incident."

"Maybe, but that was one incident. We're talking about four jonin who are the age of the average genin. We'll definitely see them again," Haku replied.

Sai nodded as he sat down and started sketching. "No doubt about it."

Haku sat down next to him and asked, "So, when is that picture going to be finished?"

"Soon," Sai replied.

"Have you started thinking about giving it a title?" Haku asked.

Sai shook his head. "No. I told you, I don't have any emotions, so there's no drive for me to figure out some witty or thoughtful title to go along with it. The same goes for all of my sketches."

Haku patted him on the back and said, "I'm sure you'll figure something out. Yamato-sensei chose me to be part of your team so that you'd start to understand how to experience emotions and how to talk to others in different ways, so please try to experiment with some emotions."

"I'll consider it," Sai responded. "I know that it's what my brother would want, but I still don't understand much about it, other than what I read in books."

"I'll introduce you to Naruto some time. If anyone can bring out buried emotions, it's him," Haku said.

"This 'Naruto' person... you've mentioned him several times. Do you like him?" Sai asked.

"He's a good friend," Haku replied.

Sai looked over at her curiously. "I've read that the more someone cares about someone, the more that person is in their mind. Is that the case with you?"

Haku shook her head. "If, by that, you mean 'Do I have any romantic interest in Naruto', then no, it's not. He's a good friend, one that I'd entrust my life to. If you mean the broad term of 'care', though, then yes."

"I see... so there is a difference there," Sai noted. "I'll have to remember that..." He flipped open a small notebook, made a couple of scribbles, then went back to drawing. "Is there someone that you do have a romantic interest in, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I don't know..." Haku replied. "I've never really known what romance was like. Father focuses so much on ninja training that I've had to speak to a couple of the female jonin here to learn some of the things that we women go through. Romance is one of those things."

"I see. So, in a way, we're alike," Sai responded. "I've grown up since I was a child in the presence of a man who thought of us as dolls for him to play war with, and you grew up with a man obsessed, and rightly so, with survival that depended on ninja skills. It's interesting; though we're so different, we're the same as well."

"That's a good point..." Haku said. The peaceful moment that passed between the two was broken as a disturbance broke out nearby. A boy ran into someone else, but was picked up before he could run off. Though they were out of hearing range, they saw Naruto and Sakura run up and try to defend the boy, but the genin didn't seem to take the hint. Two others showed up: Sasuke, who chucked a rock at the foreign genin, and another foreign genin whose presence seemed to scare the other two (a girl had shown up shortly after Naruto and Sakura) into leaving. After saying something, the red-haired genin disappeared. "Okay, that was weird... I've never seen Naruto or Sasuke so afraid, not even when they were facing off against me."

"Then the red-haired kid is stronger than you," Sai commented. "I could feel his killer instinct from here, and there's something... what's the word I'm looking for... 'primal' about it, I guess. You could say that this is probably my first emotional response to something: I was afraid of that kid, and if I was, then surely Naruto and Sasuke are too."

"I felt it, too... let's go see what happened," Haku said as she ran over. Sai, who didn't see a pressing need to involve himself, nevertheless found himself running alongside Haku. They quickly covered the length of the park and Haku shouted as they ran up, "Hey, Naruto, what just happened?"

"Oh, Haku! Those weird Sand guys were going to bully Konohamaru around, but then Gaara came up and scared them to death," Naruto explained. "Then he turns to us and says that his mother wants Sasuke's blood, or something like that."

"Yeah, that sums it up," Sasuke agreed. "I don't know how long he was there, either; I didn't sense his approach."

Haku looked at Sai. "Have you heard of any incidents between Sand and an Uchiha-led team?"

"No, the Uchiha would usually be given the hard assignments to places like Rock or Cloud," Sai responded. "The last one before the Massacre was with the Fourth's genin team, which included an Uchiha by the name of Obito, and they had gone to Rock Country."

"The Fourth Hokage taught an Uchiha?" both Naruto and Sasuke asked.

Sai looked over at them in disbelief, saying "You don't know this? And especially you, Uchiha Sasuke? Certainly they need to spend more time at the Academy, to learn more of such basics."

"Education aside," Haku said before Naruto and Sasuke lost their temper, "they're both strong ninja. Don't underestimate them."

"I remember you telling me about the chakra cloak," Sai stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "I am not surprised; not even the Fourth could create a perfect seal. But that aside, this conversation is boring. I'm going to go back to my work." And with that, he turned and walked away.

"... What's his problem?" Naruto asked.

"As talented as he is in the ninja arts," Haku replied, "he doesn't know how to be human. He's forgotten how to feel emotions and often says awkward things at the most inopportune times."

"Ah..." Naruto replied, the blank look betraying his lack of understanding. "... I don't quite get it, but I got it."

Haku sighed and shook her head, chuckling lightly as she said, "That's just like you, Naruto. See you two later!" She turned and walked back to where Sai was sitting, leaving the two bewildered genin standing there.

"Hey, Sasuke..." Naruto said, but Sasuke didn't move, so he poked him. "Sasuke!"

"Oh!" Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and blushed as he turned and said, "What?"

"... You okay, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "You zoned out on me."

"Y-Yeah, why wouldn't I be alright?" Sasuke asked hastily. Naruto just looked at him, shook his head, and walked off. Sasuke trailed behind him, asking "Seriously, what did I do?"

…

"Are you that concerned about Hinata's safety?" Yuugao asked as she ate her lunch. The two had begun to spend time together outside of strict team time, though they always spoke about the team.

Saito nodded and said, "Yeah. She's just starting to come out of her shell a bit, and even facing Neji, not to mention a defeat, could set her back, since it was always at his hand that she would fall in her sparring matches at home. She's been basking in her father's love for awhile, which I am thankful for, but it will take more time to get her mind out of the 'I have to perform well to get Father's love' routine."

"Get that out of a book?" Yuugao asked playfully.

"Yup. Been doing some reading about parenting lately... this whole experience has shown me that I may know a lot about being a ninja, but I don't know much about being a civilian," Saito admitted.

Yuugao nodded in agreement. "It's a tough balance, and often I've had to set my ninja career over my civilian life."

"Speaking of which," Saito asked, "how are things with your parents?"

"Well, my father died of a heart attack last year, but my mom is doing fine. I do what I can to support her, though she insists that she doesn't need it, but I know she appreciates it. Sometimes I go over and play a couple rounds of Go with her. She beats me pretty often, actually; I think she's reading strategy books on it or something," Yuugao responded, chuckling humorously.

"I'm sorry to hear about your father," Saito said. "He was a good man. I'm glad to hear your mother is doing well, though. Let her know I said 'hi', okay?"

"I will. She always asks me when you'll come around next; I think she's still stuck in those old days when we were kids and would play together all day," Yuugao said. "Those were good times, huh?"

"In our own world, yeah," Saito replied, "but, as the Hokage says, it's not wise to look back and say that they were better than the now. Remember that we were in a war at the time..."

"That's true. So, what are we going to do about the Chunin Exam?" Yuugao asked.

"We'll just go with the flow for now," Saito answered. "There's really nothing we can do unless we want them to miss out on a growing experience. They faced death, but not real death; Zabuza and Haku were holding back, but these people won't. This profession is a dog-eat-dog type."

"Alright. We'll do that." With that, they finished their lunch and went to go gather the team.

Soon afterward, Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru all held entry forms for the Chunin Exam in their hands. "Feel free to fill them out if you wish, but if you don't want to you don't have to. The exam will be in three days, so if you're participating then bring them with you to the Academy in three days and hand them to the receptionist at the door. You're all dismissed for now; finish your lunch and meet back here for afternoon training."

"Yes, sensei!" all three responded.

"Dismissed." With that, the two jonin left, wondering if any of them would not sign the paper.

…

Outside the borders of the Land of Fire, two genin waited impatiently as their teammate relieved herself in the dense woods beyond the path. "Hey, hurry it up, will you? We're late as it is, you know?" one of them shouted.

"Coming!" the voice rang out as she fixed her clothing. Smirking sadistically at the body that lay at her feet, she turned and rejoined the others. No one ever found out that the body, whose skin looked like it was literally peeled off, was that of the very female that joined 'her' teammates on the path. Golden eyes gleamed in arrogant pride behind black irises as the person continued with the team to participate in the Chunin Exam.


	3. Chapter 3

Three days later, many ninja filed into the Academy as the time for the first part of the exam drew close. Three particulars ran up (well, two ran; one walked lazily) and joined each other at the doorway. "Hey, you're participating too, Shika?" Naruto asked.

"Do you have to ask?" Shikamaru retorted, then said, "Even if Mom hadn't strongly suggested that I do so, I couldn't just leave you two hanging. We're a team; we're in all things together."

"Right! Let's get a move-on!" Naruto declared as they walked into the building and, after dropping their paperwork off, made their way to the room where they were told the exam would take place.

When they got there, they heard people shouting "Hey, let us in!" and "Move out of the way!", among other such things. Naruto was about to say something, but Shikamaru stopped him and whispered "Genjutsu." Understanding what he meant, Naruto nodded and walked with him and Hinata to the next floor. There, in silence, Shikamaru continued softly. "That first stairway was a genjutsu; we'd never left the first floor. We're in the right place now."

"Why not dispel the genjutsu, then?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru sighed and replied, "And have all those teams to compete against? No; far too trouble- er, it would improve our chances of being promoted if we had fewer teams to contend with." As he said this, he saw several teams come up the stairs behind them. Sound, Grass, Leaf, and Cloud teams eventually made their way up, though only half of the teams had figured out what Shikamaru had realized.

"That was annoying," Ino muttered as Team Seven, the last team to make the time limit, made their way to the real classroom. "I can't believe we didn't figure it out. Good thing you had your Sharingan, Sasuke."

"Yeah. I wonder how many other teams made it up here," Sasuke said as they entered the room. "It's a good thing that Lee guy had the decency to not shout it out to everyone."

"He would have, were it not for Chouji restraining him by covering his mouth," Shino said as he entered with Ino and Sasuke. The only difference he now showed was a slight slowness caused by his new weapon: a broadsword that was strapped to his back. He had obviously been training with it, because despite its size being smaller than a normal broadsword he carried it as if he'd been carrying it for years. His physique had also changed, though because of his bulky coat he did not look much different.

Most of the foreign teams did not notice the new team as they conversed with each other. The only ones who did were the Sound team, who were standing in the corner. One Kin Tsuchi, the female of the group, eyed Shino and his broadsword and made a mental note to investigate the new swordsman. 'Mist is known for swordsmanship, but according to the information our leader gave us the Leaf did not have such credentials. I must find out what changed... or if we weren't given all the information to begin with.'

Little did she know that Shino had already placed a kikai bug on her and everyone else to gather intelligence. 'Hm... the girl seems harmless enough, though if I know anything about women it's that they cannot be underestimated. I wonder why she's staring at me...' His eyes scanned the room as he received signals from all of his planted bugs. 'The rest of the Sound team could be formidable, though the one with the gauntlets would make an easy target for me. The Grass team is easy prey, overall, though the female is hiding something. I don't recognize that one Leaf team, especially the guy with the glasses... I must find out about them. The Sand team looks to be the strongest of the group, especially considering the fact that my kikai bug wouldn't even approach the red-haired kid. The Cloud and Rock teams probably won't make it past the first part of this exam; must be saving their best for when it's their turn to host.'

As the Rookie Nine huddled together, the unfamiliar Leaf team approached. "I thought as much. New to the Exam, right? The name's Kabuto." The man with the glasses held out his hand and shook the hands of some of the other Leaf teams.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you!" Naruto responded. "I don't remember seeing you around much during the training times."

"My sensei loves to take long missions outside the village," Kabuto said, waving his hand as if it was nothing. "I'll tell you what, though. I've been doing this for awhile, and the best weapon for this is intelligence."

"'A while'?" Sasuke asked. "This isn't your first attempt at the Chunin Exam?"

Kabuto chuckled sheepishly and said, "Yeah, this is actually my seventh attempt, and to be honest given the contenders I don't see myself moving on this time either."

'Seventh? Man, this guy is weak!' Sasuke thought, though he wisely said nothing. "What do you mean about the contenders?"

"Well, I specialize in information gathering. Want to see?" Without waiting for a response, Kabuto pulled out a deck of cards. "By reading my chakra signature, these cards can tell me everything I've seen or read."

Shikamaru's internal red-flag went off immediately. "Alright, please tell me about Gaara of the Sand, Neji Hyuuga, and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Aw, I was going to pull out some names at random to impress you; it's no fun if you already know the names," Kabuto pouted as he pulled out three cards. "First: Gaara of the Sand. Wow, this guy's intense. It says he's been on 30 D-rank missions, 10 C-rank, and even an A-rank mission!" Everyone's eyes opened wide at this. "Also, apparently he's accomplished every mission without even getting a scratch! I wonder how he pulled that off."

"Yeah, he doesn't seem to be the type to move around a lot," Naruto commented. "Still, not to get a single wound?"

"Yup. Next up: Neji Hyuuga. 50 D-rank missions, 50 C-rank missions. Apparently the prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan and the strongest genin to come out of the Academy since Uchiha Itachi," Kabuto recited. "His knowledge of the Gentle Fist is unmatched in his family, except perhaps the clan head..." Looking up, he noticed Hinata frowning and said, "No offense to present company meant, of course."

"None taken," Hinata replied, though Naruto and Shikamaru knew that it was still a somewhat sore subject with her.

"Lastly," Kabuto continued, "we have Uchiha Sasuke. 41 D-rank missions, 12 C-rank missions, and... wait, 1 C-turned-A-rank mission?! Man, if that doesn't solidify your talent as a ninja, nothing will! Anyway, apparently it was a mission to retrieve documents from an old outpost, but his team ran afoul of a rogue Mist ninja and his employer, the former Mr. Gato of Gato Shipping Co., who'd been using the outpost as a base of operations in Wave Country."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, knowing that the Wave mission was never filed as a C-rank, and its details were secret. "Okay, any serious contenders from the other foreign teams, aside from Sand?"

"Well, Rock and Cloud are always solid," Kabuto replied, not noticing Shikamaru's suspicious attitude. "Grass is an unknown, but Sound is a new village. I wouldn't expect much from any of their teams for awhile."

Shikamaru noticed that the gauntlet-wearing genin from Sound glaring at Kabuto and starting to make his way forward, so he said, "That's an unfair assessment. The unknown is ALWAYS the greatest threat; you should know that if you've really been through this seven times." Kabuto found himself in Shikamaru's shadow and unable to move under his own power. Sasuke took his cue from Shikamaru and took the cards out of Kabuto's hands, then pulled out a lighter and used a tiny amount of his chakra to expand the flame and torch the cards.

"No! What did you do to my cards?!" Kabuto asked in surprise.

"You should worry about what would've happened to you if I hadn't intervened, or did you not notice the man from Sound ready to knock your block off!?" Shikamaru replied.

"Yeah, and why should we trust you for anything?" Naruto asked; despite being slightly behind still, he realized through Shikamaru's actions that Kabuto could not be trusted. "No one offers intelligence without reaping benefits of their own! What do you gain from showing us those cards?"

"W-what don't you gain from knowing more about your enemies?" Kabuto retorted.

Shikamaru leaned in close and said, "Who are you working for? Tell me before I crush your windpipe."

"Y-You wouldn't! You'd be kicked out of the Exam, or even killed for attacking a fellow Leaf ninja!" Kabuto responded.

It was then that Naruto noticed something shiny sticking out of Kabuto's pocket. He pulled it out and looked at it, shocked to see a musical note on the metal plate instead of the leaf. "This is all the proof we need. Hinata, go get the proctor; if I know him at all, he'll LOVE to know that we have a spy or, worse, a traitor here." The girl ran off as they continued to stare Kabuto down. His teammates would have jumped in to help, but Haku and Sai were restraining them at kunai-point.

A minute later, a huge man burst into the room and stormed to where Kabuto was standing. Two ANBU appeared and grabbed the bespectacled genin. "Take him and his team to T&I. Anko will have some fun with this one, I think." They quickly knocked Kabuto out and took them away, then the man nodded once at Shikamaru and Naruto before moving to the front of the room. "Sit down, maggots!" Quickly everyone scrambled to a seat. "Rule number one: there is to be NO fighting during this part of the test without my say-so. If anyone tries to so much as reach for their kunai pouch or make a hand sign will be kicked out immediately! Now, this first part of the test is a written examination. Don't expect it to be easy like in school; you will be tested on everything you should have learned up until this point. You'll start out with 100 points. For each question wrong, you will lose ten points. If you lose more than fifty, you will fail the test. Nine questions will be on the paper, and the tenth will be given at the end of the exam." By this point everyone had received their test sheets and were waiting. "You have one hour. Begin!" Immediately everyone's heads went down as they began to read over the first question and attempt to answer it.

By the time 45 minutes had passed, Naruto knew he was doomed. He mentally banged his head against the desk, remembering every time in the Academy that he'd had a test outside of Iruka's class and he'd been given tests that were far harder than what everyone else had (he knew because he'd once taken a glance at Shikamaru's paper). During that time he noticed some people being kicked out for some reason, but it wasn't until afterward that he'd learned what was going on: they had been caught cheating. In addition, there was some rank odor that he couldn't place but was making him sick, though it didn't seem to be affecting anyone else.

"Naruto..." Hinata whispered (though it was in the volume she always used to use), "you can copy my answers if you want."

"No, thank you. I know you want me to pass, but it wouldn't be honorable to cheat off of you," Naruto whispered back. "Thank you for being concerned about me." He then turned back to his test, not seeing Hinata light up again.

At the 55-minute mark, the giant man shouted "Alright, stop! It's time for the last question!" All heads looked up as the man spoke. "Here's the rules for this: you can choose whether you want to take this last question or not. If you do not, you automatically fail and will have to wait until next time to retry. However, if you decide to take the question and get it wrong, you will be permanently banned from the Chunin Exam and thus making you a permanent genin for the rest of your career. Whoever is unwilling to answer the last question, simply raise your hand and the assistants will escort you out." A couple of hands went up and their owners left the room. "Anyone else?"

Naruto looked over and noticed Hinata's right hand trembling with fear. Inch by inch it slowly crawled its way up and before he knew it, he'd jumped to his feet and shouted "Bring it on! I'm not afraid of some silly test question!"

The large man's eyes locked right onto Naruto's. "Are you sure, boy? Are you willing to risk being a genin for the rest of your career?"

"You betcha! I'm going to be Hokage someday, so I'm not going to let something so silly as a simple test question scare me into hiding from whatever comes next! If I fail, then I'll simply be the first genin to become the Hokage, believe it!" Naruto retorted.

The man looked around the room and smiled to himself as he saw the fear that had previously hung in the air completely gone from everyone else who'd stayed in the room. "Alright. You all pass."

"..." At first stunned silence filled the room, but Naruto (again) was the first to speak up. "Wait, what? You didn't even give us the last question, let alone grade the tests."

"The first part was to measure your information-gathering skills, but even that is of secondary importance to the lesson of the last question: strength in the face of uncertainty." He removed the headband and skull-cap he was wearing and showed the myriad of scars on his bald head. "Many times you will be unable to find the information you're looking for and be caught. Anyone who is unwilling to face possible torture is unworthy of being a ninja; anyone who lets fear control his decisions is unfit to live. So congratulations to everyone here." The bell went off right then and there and he reached over to stop it. "My name is Ibiki Morino. I learned many lessons of being a ninja the hard way, as you can clearly see, but I have held strong to my convictions. I am glad to see so many people who are willing to face what I've faced without losing courage." He turned and, after fastening his headband and skull-cap back on, he stepped out of the room.

"Man, nice work, Naruto!" Kiba said as he came up. "I was freaking out when he started talking about the last question. I didn't think that it was all a trick!"

"I felt like he was being a bully, so I simply called him out on it," Naruto replied. "By the way, you didn't fart or something, did you? I smell something weird..."

"Wow, I thought it was just me, but it's not a fart. It's a snake... a strong one, too, if I know anything about animals," Kiba replied.

"A snake? Why would snakes be in here?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru came up and said, "Because Kabuto wasn't the only spy, I imagine..." Just then a tall man wearing a mask came in and whistled sharply.

"Let's get going! The second part of the exam is about to begin!" Zabuza shouted before turning to leave.

Before he did, one Mist ninja shouted, "Hey, why's there a traitor among the Leaf!?" He was about to say more, but he didn't get a chance as Zabuza's sword came flying at him, cutting all of his hair off and planting itself in the wall just behind him.

"Let's get one thing straight, boy," Zabuza replied as he approached the Mist genin, "I am not a ninja of the Mist, nor have I ever been a follower of someone of the likes of the current Mizukage. My services and loyalty are to a leader who has proven time and again his faithfulness and reliability; NEVER call my loyalty into question, or the next hit will be lower." Having walked up, he yanked the sword out and held it against the genin's neck. "Are we clear, boy?"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir!" the boy choked out.

"Good." Putting the sword back against him, Zabuza led the teens out of the building, making a note to send for repairmen to take care of the giant hole in the wall.

…

"Lord Hokage, we have a problem," Ibiki said as he entered the older man's office.

"Yes, Ibiki?" the Hokage asked, looking up from his paperwork.

Ibiki bowed and began, saying "There was a team from Sound posing to be one of our own teams. In addition to that, the same students who ferreted out the spies also made mention of a particular scent in the testing hall. 'We smell snakes, and I remember from history that snakes have never been a good thing for the Leaf' is what it said. The handwriting was of the Nara kid and the paper was Uzumaki's, but the best nose in that group belongs to the Inuzuka."

"Orochimaru... he's moving faster than expected. What does he want?" the Hokage muttered to himself as he thought. It didn't take very long to realize what was going on. "Sasuke! He's going after Sasuke... and the next portion of the test is in the Forest of Death." Suppressing a mouthful of curses, he looked up at Ibiki. "Pull Team Seven out of the exam. Come up with any sort of explanation that you can."

"They've already entered the forest, sir. Plus, remember that Master Jiraiya set up traps that only Orochimaru could set off. I'll assemble several squads to enter in pursuit, though, if that would set your mind at ease, sir," Ibiki responded.

The Hokage nodded. "Alert Jiraiya as well; you'll need all the help you can get."

"Yes, sir!" Ibiki saluted, then disappeared.

Sarutobi turned and looked outside, pushing aside the urge to go after his wayward student himself. "I thought he'd just be after me... but how did he slip in unnoticed?"

…

Indeed, it had already been an hour since they had begun the second portion of the Chunin Exam. In Training Field #44 was a forest that no one usually entered, aside from those who were skilled enough to brave the danger. The forest was a relic from the era before ninja were known, crawling with giant bugs and other such monsters. In the middle was a tower that served as a lookout during the old wars, and to reach it was the first requirement of this test. The second was to reach it within a week; a jonin could reach it in a day and a half, less if in a hurry, but a genin team could reach it in five days if they went straight. The problem with this was two-fold: one, the forest was so thick that it was easy to lose one's way; two, there were thirteen other teams gunning for the same spot, and one of them had a particular item that was needed at the tower. Half of the teams were given a 'heaven' scroll, and the other an 'earth' scroll. The object was to make it to the tower with one 'heaven' and one 'earth' scroll. This automatically cut the number of teams making it to the tower in half, so a genin team would have to dodge assaults from other teams day-in and day-out and make attacks of their own.

Thus Team Ten was not very far in when they were suddenly approached by the team from Rock that had passed. "You think you're clever to find those spies, huh?" one of them asked. "I'll bet you all staged that so you could make yourselves look better. Guess what? We're not falling for it! Earth-style: Mud Bomb jutsu!" He began to make seals as he spoke, but quickly found himself unable to move. His teammates quickly split up and went after Shikamaru's teammates. Reflexively, Naruto made several Shadow Clones and quickly overwhelmed his opponent. The other Rock team member fell swiftly to Hinata's precise Gentle Fist strikes, and soon the speaker was all alone as Shikamaru's shadow quickly retreated. "Hey, not fair! We should have had the advantage; we jumped you first!"

"There is no 'fair' in this profession," Shikamaru replied. "Now, give us your scroll and we'll let all of you live." Unsheathing his swords, he added, "But if you don't, we'll kill you. We'll be fast since we don't have time, but don't think of us as weak."

"Grr..." Uttering several curses, he threw his scroll at them, grabbed his teammates, and made his way back to the edge of the forest.

After they were out of earshot, one of Naruto's Shadow Clones went over and picked up the scroll, at Shikamaru's request. Making sure it wasn't a trap, it came back and muttered "They had the same scroll-type that we have."

"Good," Shikamaru replied. "If we run into any of our Leaf teammates that need an earth scroll, we'll give it to them; in return they have to help us get a heaven scroll and get to the tower."

"That's a good plan, Shika," Naruto replied. "Hinata, nice work! I think that was a new record."

"Thank you, Naruto... I've been practicing really hard," Hinata replied shyly.

Shikamaru looked around. "Naruto, send your Shadow Clones to scout ahead, to the right, and to the left. Make sure there's no people around... or any of those giant spiders, ether." He shivered involuntarily as he remembered the spider they'd avoided ten minutes after entering the forest.

Naruto nodded to his clones; they nodded back and leaped off to scout around.

"Hinata, what do you see?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't see anything- wait, further in. Looks like someone is fighting another team," Hinata replied. "It's odd, though; it's a one-on-three, but the one is clearly dominating the match."

"Let's scout it out," Shikamaru said. "Regardless of what he was, Kabuto was right about intelligence being very valuable." They nodded and went off to see who was fighting.

Just far enough out to see yet also remain unseen, the team watched as a Grass ninja expertly weaved her way around the attacks from a Cloud team and, after playing with them for several minutes, dispatched them with one hit each. Surprisingly, the girl shook her head in disgust and left for another section of the forest without checking any of the bodies for a scroll.

"This is weird..." Shikamaru muttered. "Hinata, is there anything nearby?"

"No, there's a whole bunch of dead bugs and human bodies, but that's it," Hinata replied.

"I'll go get the scroll, then, and come right back," Shikamaru decided. "If it's a trap, then you two come in and help the best you can. Try and fight so that we can figure out a way to escape." With that, he cautiously crept forward. Once he hit the bodies, he deftly searched the bodies until he found the scroll. He quickly ran back to where Naruto and Hinata were sitting and said, "Okay, we're set. Let's get out of here, and fast; I don't like this one bit."

…

Several hours later, they ran into Team Seven, but found themselves in a predicament. The same Grass ninja that they had run into some time ago had just shown up. "Come on, Sasuke, let's go!" Naruto said. Unfortunately, Sasuke was frozen where he stood.

"Yesss, Sssasssuke," the girl said, "You should lisssten to your friend. He knows how dangerous I am. After all, he sssaw me wipe out that Cloud team."

'Oh no, she knew... but how? And why?' Shikamaru thought to himself. "Naruto, get Sasuke and the others out of here. Shino and I will hold... it... off." Going through the hand signs, he muttered 'Shadow Possession jutsu,' and his shadow lanced out at the Grass ninja. Naruto, who had finally shaken Sasuke out of his stupor, managed to get him out while Ino and Hinata provided cover. Shino drew his sword, but this was a ruse as he also began sending his kikai bugs out to drain the intruder's chakra.

The Grass ninja chuckled as she deftly evaded the shadow. "It's a nice attempt, and I have to admit that I'm impressed that the old man hasn't let you all go down the drain in this 'peaceful' time. Too bad you have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Oh no..." Shino muttered. "My bugs are dying from his chakra; I can't drain him. Shikamaru, we must retreat immediately."

"I know... I'm just buying time, but given the difficulty we're having it's going to be t- difficult to do even that. Go; I'll continue to buy time," Shikamaru said. Shino nodded and went the same way that the others had gone, having already recalled the kikai bugs he'd sent.

"Sssacrifice... sssuch a noble tasssk," the girl said. "Better hurry, or elssse I might think twice about not killing you. You've given them enough time, though I assure you it isss all for nothing." As she said this, a giant snake appeared behind her.

Shikamaru knew that this snake was summoned and quickly canceled the jutsu before leaving as quickly as he could, putting as much distance as he could between him and the snake. "Why does this happen to me?" he wondered as he ran. He somehow managed to catch up to the rest of the group, but he quickly found out why: the snake had cut them off, as had the girl who'd summoned it.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Sasuke?!" Naruto shouted.

"Kukuku... sssurely you know who I am..." As 'she' said this, her skin began to peel off. Behind the Grass facade was a pale man with golden eyes, jet-black hair, and the longest tongue one could ever imagine anyone having.

"Orochimaru..." Ino whispered. "He's Anko-sensei's old teacher... and was one of the Hokage's students; he's one of the Sannin. We can't take him..."

"Yes, we can!" Naruto objected. "Shikamaru, do you have a plan?"

"... I don't even know what he can do, aside from apparently summoning snakes; I've got nothing..." Shikamaru replied.

"Kukuku... yes, just stand still and accept your- AUGH!" A field of energy appeared around Orochimaru, who had begun to summon chakra to use a jutsu. He was quickly brought to his knees as he struggled against it. "Jiiiiraiiiiyaaaaa...!"

"Got an idea now," Shikamaru whispered, then followed it up with his plan. Everyone nodded, then began quickly making their way to the tower. After several minutes, the trap's power finally wore out and the old man stood up shakily, not noticing that his snake had disappeared. Being in a state of disorientation, he staggered in one direction for several minutes before it finally wore off and he got his bearings. Seeing a mess of footprints heading in one direction, he turned and headed in the opposite direction, thinking to catch up with the kids.


	4. Chapter 4

"There's no one approaching," Hinata said. They'd spent the past half an hour running like the devil himself had been after them, but no snakes had gotten in their way and no creepy old man had cut them off.

"Alright... I think we can rest now," Shikamaru muttered. They all came to a stop against a huge tree. A light rain began to fall and they all got underneath a cave-like covering made by roots that were partly sticking out of the ground and dirt that had not been eroded on one side of them. Shino and Naruto spread their camo-tarp over the front of it to stave off any rain that might leak in.

"So, three guesses as to why Orochimaru is after me," Sasuke said, "because I can't think of a single one. I know my family has had no dealings with him, before or after his defection." One by one all of them denied having even an inkling as to why the previous events had just happened. "Great... I'm being hunted for some random reason." He sighed and ducked his head into his arms, which were resting on top of his knees.

"Does anyone else think it was really creepy when he shed that Grass ninja's skin like a snake?" Ino asked. "I swear, that's far worse than anything Anko-sensei has."

"Yeah, no kidding..." Naruto muttered. "I wonder if he ended up being able to do any of the tricks she knew before he killed her."

"Hm..." Shikamaru muttered. "You might be onto something there... let's say that's the case. What's the one thing Sasuke has that we don't?"

"The Sharingan," Hinata replied. "But what does a Sannin want with a pair of Sharingan eyes? Why not just get implants like Kakashi-sensei did?"

"An Uchiha has the correct chakra equilibrium to use the Sharingan effectively. With anyone else, it places a great strain on the user's chakra reserves," Sasuke replied. "I've often noticed it when Kakashi-sensei teaches me about how to use it effectively; the training doesn't last very long, and he often has it covered up unless he's teaching me how to see and copy jutsu."

"So he'd need not just the eyes, but the entire chakra system..." Shikamaru said. "Since he can inhabit the skin of another person, and given his current age, I can surmise that he probably knows how to inhabit a person's body, possibly by separating his soul from his body and possessing another person."

"Do you realize how powerful such a jutsu could be? You'd be able to live forever, just by jumping from one body to another," Shino remarked.

"If he's after immortality, then that would be his aim, I imagine," Shikamaru replied. "That having been said, I wonder why he would want the Sharingan at all. All it's really good for is copying jutsu and penetrating genjutsu- no offense."

Sasuke shook his head, biting back an arrogant reply. "There's more to the Sharingan than that, but those are its main abilities. Anyway, he was a student of the Hokage, who was also called the Professor. Supposedly he knows over a thousand jutsu, which is how he got that nickname. Maybe he wants to be able to know more without having to go through the work."

"Sounds feasible, but why you? Why not Itachi?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know..." Sasuke replied. "Maybe Itachi's stronger than he is... or maybe, if Shikamaru is right, the soul-binding process works with younger bodies."

"Is it a soul transfer, rather than someone projecting their will through their chakra?" Ino asked. "Our family's jutsu uses a similar technique in order to invade the mind and do many things to it."

"But your family's jutsu is not necessarily limited to your family, like how the Sharingan and Byakugan are," Shikamaru replied. "It's more like how my family's jutsu works. Anyone could, in theory, use such jutsu and possibly even develop their own variations on that jutsu."

"Talk about dangerous..." Naruto muttered. "If that Orochimaru guy could invade the mind and take it over completely, there would be no stopping him, especially if he could body-jump at will." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well, there's no use speculating about it now. It's getting dark out, so we should try to get some sleep," Shikamaru said. "We guys will set up a watch, and every three hours we'll switch. I'll stand the first watch. Shino, take second; Sasuke, third; and Naruto, you take the last." They nodded and everyone unpacked blankets that were dirt-colored so that they'd avoid being seen.

…

"It went off, but he escaped before we could reach him..." Jiraiya muttered. "He's gotten stronger. We have to continue the search. It looks like he followed a trail of footprints leading off this way; they must have been trying to get out of the forest so they could come get us." As Jiraiya silently prayed that he'd find his old teammate in time, he and the ninja team he took with him left to follow the trail left by Orochimaru.

…

The following day saw Team Seven and Team Ten resuming their trek to the tower. "We should be at the tower tomorrow at the earliest, if we can avoid unnecessary battles," Shikamaru said.

"Not likely," Shino stated. "The monsters here are hungry, and I can do nothing to influence them to avoid us. In addition, we must remember that there are still many other teams who will do anything to obtain a scroll."

"My Shadow Clones got eaten yesterday," Naruto commented. "I'm more worried about them than the other genin... it's not a nice feeling, you know. Hundreds of teeth piercing your body, or being swallowed whole and burning in stomach acid."

Ino shuddered. "Not another word about that, Naruto. Shikamaru's right; we need to keep moving, or else-"

Hinata spoke up just then. "Guys, stop. We're surrounded." Everyone came to a halt immediately.

"How many?" Shikamaru asked.

"Three. Looks like the Sound Squad," Hinata replied.

"Great." He motioned them all to get into a huddle and spoke out loud. "Let's decide on a password. How's this: 'A great ninja has three qualities: a keen mind, quick feet, and the Will of Fire.'"

Naruto sighed. "I'm never going to remember that," he muttered. Only when Shikamaru winked did he understand. "Well, whatever. I gotta go take a leak." He turned around and walked out of their sight further into the forest.

Two minutes later Naruto came walking out, saying "Man, talk about a relief! I've been holding it in since breakfast!"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What's the password?"

"Oh, right! 'A great ninja has three qualities: a keen mind, quick feet, and the Will of Fire." Naruto responded, only to dodge several kunai. "What are you doing?!"

"Your disguise is good, but you made two mistakes," Sasuke replied. "One, Naruto's kunai pouch is on the other leg. Two, much as I love him, I know he's not capable of remembering the password we set." His Sharingan came blazing to life as he pulled out another kunai.

"Nice eyes," 'Naruto' replied before dropping the transformation. Zaku, the one who'd been transformed, was quickly joined by Dosu. "Dosu, let's show them the power of sound. Wind Cannon!" he shouted before swinging his arm. A whirring sound was made as the gauntlets picked up air and, as he extended his arm forward, the air mixed with his chakra and created a blast of air. It swept past the two Leaf teams, who'd dived to avoid the blast, and crashed into a tree behind them, creating a huge impact crater.

Soon they were each bringing a full assault on the teams, who could not even regroup and plan because each time they tried, a bell sounded and threw their equilibrium off. Only Shino, whose concentration was on the kikai bugs he'd planted, was able to shrug off the effects of the bells. He separated from the group and followed the signal from one of them to Kin, who was busy littering the area with her bells. "Clever jutsu, miss." Swinging his broadsword, he tried to cut strings that he thought were hanging from her fingers, but she simply moved her hands back and faced him.

"You can't figure out my trick, and you can't beat me," Kin replied.

"Actually... I already have, Kin Tsuchi." As Kin gasped, Shino walked forward calmly with his sword resting on his shoulder. "I already know much about you. You're an orphan from Wave who was taken to Sound and made to be a ninja for this new village. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but there is something seriously wrong when your teammates treat you like trash constantly. Surely someone like you deserves far better treatment, and not simply because you're a skilled ninja."

"H-How did you know?" Kin gasped. "Are you a mind-reader?"

"No, but I have good hearing," Shino replied. "We already know that Sound plans to invade the Leaf, and we're already setting up measures to counter them. Give up, and I give you my word that you'll get off easy, far more easily than you would if you went through with your leader's plans. I can already tell that you and your team are no more than pawns to him, and that is surely no way to run a country." Sheathing his sword, he held out his hand.

"..." Kin paused as she considered her situation. She could tell that Shino was used to carrying the sword around, and thus could easily cleave her in two. In addition, her previous uneasiness was justified in that she hadn't known anything about an invasion, which meant that Shino was right about her being a pawn. Taking off her hair-bag and looking at the sound symbol on the metal plate, she sighed and threw it to the ground. "I surrender."

"Good choice," Shino replied. "I have just notified the proctor; he'll escort you out, and given his own background he'll treat you well. He was formerly of the Mist, but is now a well-respected member of the Leaf Village Ninja Corps. I'll ask him to keep you safe and out of sight until after the Chunin Exam."

"Wait, I want you to promise me something else!" Kin replied. "Please save my sister, Tayuya. She's not my real sister, and is really rough around the edges, but she's the only person who cared for me since I was orphaned and kidnapped. Please?"

"I will do my best. What does she look like, and how strong is she?" Shino asked.

"She's about as tall as you, has red hair, and carries a flute as her weapon. She's far stronger than I am, especially once she uses the Curse Seal," Kin replied as she began recalling her bells. "She turns into a monster and can't be stopped by anyone except the other Sound Four members or our boss. You have to destroy the seal, too, or else our boss could end her life immediately!"

"That's a tall order, but I know someone who knows about seals," Shino replied. Just then, Zabuza appeared next to them. "Ah, proctor, please escort this lady to the Hokage. I do believe that such an area is off-limits to a noncombatant. Plus, she must be placed into witness protection to avoid repercussions."

"I'm no messenger, boy." Turning to the girl, he glared down at her, seeing the metal plate lying on the ground. "So, taking the same route I took, huh? Hm, smart kid." Picking her up, he quickly left the forest. Shino took his cue and rejoined the battle, which sounded like it was becoming fierce.

Zaku and Dosu had suddenly found themselves being backed up against the wall. "Hey, Zaku, what's going on? Why isn't Kin keeping them off-balance?"

"That brat, slackin' as always! I'll make sure she pays big-time!" Zaku replied to Dosu, but the momentary distraction cost him dearly. Shino came down in front of him, the broadsword gleaming red as fresh blood dripped off of the blade. Zaku staggered back, holding a stump that had been his left arm. "AUGH! My arm! You-" and he followed it up with a string of swear words as he reeled from the attack.

"Zaku, let's split! We already have our scroll; let's just pay them back during the later battles!" Dosu shouted. Zaku nodded back and the both of them ran as fast as they could.

"Hey, Shino, awesome timing!" Naruto shouted, giving Shino a pat on the back. "Nice move, too, chopping his arm off. Can't wait to see you use that sword more!"

"I hope to use it as little as I can, especially given how much of a novice I currently am with it," Shino replied. "Plus, carrying it around makes my back stiff."

"Hey, Shino, why'd you disappear all of a sudden?" Shikamaru asked. "Also, why did you reappear only now?"

"I was taking care of their third member," Shino simply replied, then turned and resumed the walk to the tower. Everyone knew that Shino didn't want to talk about it right now, so they all shrugged and continued on.

…

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Kiba was leading Team Eight expertly with his finely-tuned ears and nose. "Hold on, guys, there's a battle going on near here. We should check it out; maybe we'll find out something about one of the stronger teams."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Kiba?" Chouji asked. "We have our pair of scrolls. Going near a battle will just make us a target."

Sakura adjusted her headband and said, "Not if we mask our chakra signatures like Kurenai-sensei taught us. I say we take a look." Chouji reluctantly nodded and the three of them crept over to the battlefield. In a small clearing (which wasn't much of one, though it stood out because of the density of the forest) stood the Sand team and a Mist team. Temari and Kankuro stood back while Gaara fought the Mist team, or rather, as the Mist team tried to attack Gaara. It quickly proved to be pointless, however, as two Mist members were crushed against trees by Gaara's sand and the third was completely engulfed by sand, lifted up into the air, and squeezed so hard that his blood dripped from the giant sand clump and nothing was left of his bones as the sand fell to the ground and returned to the giant gourd on Gaara's back. At this point Team Eight was in the middle of a hasty retreat, though Sakura thought for sure that Gaara had seen them.

Gaara, in fact, had seen a tuft of pink hair sticking out from behind a fallen log, but had decided to ignore it. 'Mother does not want her blood, so it would be a pointless waste of time killing her or her team.' Having seen her, though, his mind was once again consumed with thoughts of her, though at this point he had decided it was better to think of her than to hear the constant droning of "Mother". Temari and Kankuro wisely said nothing as they continued to make their way to the tower, though they were still perturbed about their teammate's odd behavior.

…

Teams Seven and Ten were among the last surviving teams to arrive at the tower, but because they had made it before the cutoff time they had a few days to rest. The Rookie Nine got together to discuss strategies that they could use in case they had to fight the teams from the other villages. It was unanimously agreed that fights against the Sand that involved Gaara were to be avoided at all costs, but that caution should be taken against the other two because they didn't know how Temari and Kankuro could fight. The Sound team was at a severe disadvantage, with them down a member and Zaku missing an arm. A Cloud team had made it, but likely because they had avoided the four Leaf teams and one Sand team. All in all, the number stood at twenty genin. According to Iruka, who had greeted Team Ten at the tower, a single-combat tournament was usually the final portion of the Chunin Exam; no-holds-barred, but death avoided when possible. With this information, they had to decide what to do if and when they got pitted against each other. The first decision was that there was to be no holding back, since no one wanted to lose the tournament (and they didn't know that promotion was action-based, rather than being based on wins). Also, they would try not to use highly-destructive ninjutsu like Sasuke's Grand Fireball jutsu, which could kill people instantly. Naruto was determined to fight only the guys in the group, citing chivalry that he'd learned about in a fantasy tale he'd been reading recently, until Ino punched him in the nose and made him swear to fight any girl he ended up fighting, "even Neji," Kiba jokingly added, to the amusement of the other guys, Sakura, and Ino; Hinata simply said nothing, though she did have to admit that Neji did care for his hair too much. Otherwise, it was a relaxing couple of days.

Finally, the cutoff date had arrived, and everyone stood in the main chamber of the tower. The Third Hokage stood in between several jonin and representatives from different villages and began his speech. "Congratulations to all who made it to this third round of this season's Chunin Exam! I am proud to look over each and every one of you, whether you are of Leaf or any other nation, for it is on your shoulders that the future depends." Neji mentally scoffed at this, but kept silent as the Hokage continued. "You should come to understand why this exam exists, and why it differs so much from the genin and jonin exams. You see, it was decided after the end of the last war that all the wars we were fighting were far too costly on our economies, so the leaders of the Elemental Nations came up with a 'non-war war' that would benefit the nations instead of draining their resources. Thus, the Chunin Exam. You all are the participants in a 'cold war' that exists to promote peace while at the same time providing your relative villages with a show of strength that will boost their business. That, in a nutshell, is why you're all assembled here. Now, because there are so many of you, we will have a round of preliminaries to decide who, in a month, will participate in the final portion of the Exam and be chosen to advance in rank."

"Preliminaries?" Chouji whispered, mostly to himself. "I thought that this would be the last of it..." He pulled out a bag of chips and began to munch nervously.

"Each person will fight one bout today to decide their placement," the Hokage continued. "After that, you will report to the arena in one month. Use it to train well. I now hand the table to the proctor of this exam."

A rather nondescript jonin stepped forward, or rather, he seemed ordinary until he began speaking. "*cough* Two people will be chosen *cough-cough* at random. Everyone who is *cough* not fighting has to stay *cough-cough-cough* on the platforms above the floor. You are *cough* to fight until you have incapacitated your opponent or if I call *cough* the match. If you continue anyway and kill your opponent, and I decide that it was not accidental, you will be dis-*cough*-qualified. All teams, *cough* move to the platforms and *cough-cough* wait for your turn." After everyone had moved to the top floor, inwardly wondering to themselves how he'd become a jonin if he was so sick, a screen was rolled out and began flashing through the portraits of all the contestants appeared. A few seconds later, both portraits stopped. "Yamanaka Ino vs. Niwa Kosuke. Both contestants, please come down."

Ino smirked as she sauntered down the steps and stood at the ready position. Kosuke, in contrast, quietly made his way to the spot where he was supposed to stand. "Hey, ready for a stomping?" Ino shouted.

"..." Kosuke merely stood still, not saying a word as he pulled a pair of brass knuckles out and slipped them on.

"The 'strong, silent type', huh?" Ino said as she pulled out a kunai. "Well, we'll see how long that lasts. I'm not just a pretty face, after all."

"..." This time Ino could see his lips move, and it set her on edge. She had learned to assume lips moving as a preparation for a jutsu use. As the proctor shouted the beginning of the match, Ino took the initiative and threw out three kunai as she quickly covered the distance between herself and Kosuke. The ninja dodged backward as he continued to mumble. Suddenly black wings sprouted from his back and he took flight. "Wind-style: Air Cutter jutsu!" With a flap of his wings, blades of air rode the gust toward Ino, forcing her to sidestep. 'How in the heck is he flying?' Ino thought to herself as she suddenly found herself on the defensive. 'This can't be a normal jutsu... can a bird lift a human into the air, though?' She ran up the wall in order to try and reach Kosuke, but he simply flew out toward the center of the room. Blades of wind continued to assault Ino, who barely managed to keep ahead of the attacks throughout the whole match. 'Crap, I was hoping to not rely on my family's jutsu, but I don't have much of a choice... I hope Anko-sensei forgives me.' Quickly weaving signs, she gathered chakra and leaped over a set of air blades, shouting "Mind-transfer jutsu!" Kosuke quickly fell to the ground as Ino took over his body. She quickly stood him up and, raising his right hand, said in his voice, "I give up."

"*cough* Niwa Kosuke has surrendered. Yamanaka Ino is the winner!" the jonin announced, to the rage of Kosuke's teammates and the applause of Ino's.

Ino sat up and looked around, grinning over the fact that she had actually won the match, but seeing the newly-awakened Kosuke turning with a dejected look, she felt badly about her conduct. She rushed up and shook his hand. "I'm sorry I took the easy way out of that match. You're a strong opponent, though, and I look forward to fighting you again."

"No need to apologize, Miss Yamanaka. I was wholly unprepared for your jutsu, and so the loss is, in fact, a legitimate loss," Kosuke replied softly, smiling a little bit. "Your agility is impressive. To be honest, I was beginning to wonder if I would've run out of chakra before you, since I couldn't hit you at all."

"Comes with being chased by a lot of poisonous snakes every day," Ino replied sheepishly.

"Hey, cheater, stay away from him!" one of Kosuke's teammates shouted out as she ran up to bring him back to their group.

Kosuke, however, turned to her and she immediately stopped as she saw the reproach in his eyes. "It is unwise to slander others. Her win is solid, so drop it." He turned back to Ino and said, "Thank you for the duel. I look forward to the next time... perhaps you can actually catch me." With that, he turned and walked up the stairs to his team, his wings folding around his body like a cloak. The girl stuck her tongue out at Ino before trotting behind Kosuke.

"Nice guy..." Ino said as she began walking back to her team. 'Good-looking and polite, too...'

Suddenly the proctor spoke up. "Next match: Higurashi Tenten vs. Aburame Shino!"

Both genin walked down the stairs and stood at their ready positions. After bowing, they quickly launched into their attacks. Tenten began unraveling scroll after scroll of stored weapons that poured out and launched themselves at Shino, who simply dodged one way and another. Seeing her strategy not working, Tenten pulled out a metal staff and began attacking Shino at close range. Shino, for his part, had continued to dodge since he knew that Tenten would beat him at a straight-up weapon match. 'Forgive me, Yuugao-sensei, but I must play my advantages...' Shino thought as he began sending out his kikai bugs. Clumps of them would form to block attacks while he would lash out with the deadly insects, forcing Tenten to back up and return to weapon-summoning. Unfortunately, Shino seemed to have already won, because by this time several kikai had latched on and were sucking her chakra dry. Tenten knelt down as Shino walked up to deliver the knockout blow, but fell backward and kicked Shino in the crotch, quickly disabling the boy. Tenten then used the last of her strength to pick up her staff and clobber Shino in the head.

"Shino is unable to continue the match. Higurashi Tenten is the winner!" the proctor announced. Quickly Shino and Tenten were escorted off the floor and the excess of weapons was cleaned up before the next pair appeared on the screen. "Uchiha Sasuke vs. Inuzuka Kiba!" the proctor shouted. "Please step onto the combat floor."

Sasuke and Kiba both made their way to the center of the arena and shook hands. "May the best man win," Kiba said. Sasuke nodded in agreement as they both took their positions. When the match started they both ran up to each other and attacked with kunai, making a sort of mock-sword-fight that lasted several minutes. Being that they were on the same team, they knew what the other was capable of, so they both unconsciously decided to make a show of it. It went back and forth for some time; Sasuke would appear to have the upper hand, and then Kiba would appear to make a comeback. Finally, they backed off from each other, breathing hard but smiling.

"It's as if they're simply sparring, not fighting," Temari commented. "These Leaf guys are idiots."

"... They're fighting as hard as they can..." Gaara mumbled. "But yet they enjoy it. Why?"

Temari looked over at Gaara, surprised to hear him talk at all. "Are they? They look like they're holding back."

Gaara looked over, his eyes glaring condescendingly, and said, "Of course they are, but this is just the beginning of the match. It's definite that they are fighting with all they have, not just at the end, but at the beginning; otherwise, they would be using every technique that they know to defeat each other. Mother says so..."

"Oh, well, uh, she's right, then!" Temari replied nervously, visibly relieved when Gaara turned his attention back to the match. 'What is going on with you, Gaara?'

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Kiba had gone into a throwing match. Kunai littered the floor and left odd patterns in the walls as the two of them literally emptied their pouches of their contents. Soon they were back to their original positions. "Hey, Sasuke, looks like this will have to be settled over jutsu!" Kiba shouted.

"It's about time," Sasuke responded. "Let's do it!" His Sharingan blazed to life as he finished his sentence.

"Beast Clone jutsu!" Kiba shouted. Akamaru disappeared in a poof of smoke, and when the smoke cleared two men stood. Kiba's features had sharpened as he took on more canine characteristics, while Akamaru looked like a mirror image. "Here's one jutsu you can't copy: Tunneling Fang jutsu!" The two Kiba began rotating around a central point between them and became a tornado that lanced out at Sasuke.

Sasuke immediately began dodging the drilling duo, which was only slightly easier because the Sharingan raised his reflex time by slowing down his perception of the world around him, but every time he tried to enter the whirlwind he was repelled. This went on for a minute as Sasuke tried to figure out a solution to this problem. 'Okay, I've never beaten this jutsu before, and I can't mimic it without a solid clone of my own. I can't focus on what I don't have, though...' His hands quickly flashed through signs and he shouted "Fire-style: Phoenix Flower jutsu!" He then spewed out a myriad of fireballs at the twirling twosome, but Kiba and Akamaru simply flew right through the blast and finally hit Sasuke. The raven-haired genin had twisted around to avoid a direct impact, but ended up getting knocked into a wall anyway. By this time his shirt had been torn up, so he simply discarded the rag it had become and flashed through hand signs again. 'I have to break them up somehow...' "Fire-style: Grand Fireball jutsu!" A giant fireball shot out of Sasuke's mouth and detonated as it hit the ground in front of the incoming Kiba.

"Whoa!" shouted Kiba as the explosion forced Kiba and Akamaru to separate. As soon as they broke the jutsu, Sasuke was on top of him, pummeling him with his fists. Finally, Kiba was sprawled out on the ground, bruised and bloody but definitely alive. "Nice job, Sasuke... thanks for not trying to hit us with that fireball."

"We agreed to try to not kill each other, and I'll admit that my jutsu repertoire is not as impressive as it should be," Sasuke said as he pulled Kiba into a sitting position. "Think you can fight some more? I know I'm spent; that Grand Fireball uses up a lot of chakra."

"Nah, I'm good..." Kiba responded, laughing. "It was a good fight. Maybe those Sand guys will think twice about underestimating us from now on." He fell back, succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Inuzuka Kiba is unconscious; Uchiha Sasuke is the winner!" the jonin announced. Medics came by to pick up Kiba and Akamaru, who had been knocked unconscious from the explosion's concussive force, and took them to a back room to treat them.

"Nice job, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as Sasuke climbed up to the platform. "I knew you'd beat him one day!"

"Thanks, Naruto," Sasuke replied. "It's too bad I had to use a lethal jutsu to do it, though."

They were unable to continue talking, though, because the screen had just announced the next pair. The fight was between Dosu and one of the Cloud members, Kuwabara Kazuma. This battle was a quick one, with Dosu quickly overwhelming Kazuma. "The only reason you're still alive is because your village hates the Leaf," Dosu muttered almost silently as he left the battered boy on the ground, clearly defeated. The next match, Zaku vs. the female Cloud ninja, ended in a forfeit by the girl, who stated that "Though I'd much like to avenge my teammate, it's beneath my honor to cross blades with a cripple." The only thing that kept Zaku from launching an attack at her anyway was knowing that he had to proceed with the exam if he was going to have another chance to kill Sasuke. And so ended the first half of the preliminaries. A half-hour break was slated for everyone to eat lunch, and afterward everyone returned to the main hall.


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata had watched all of the matches intently, but her mind kept drifting toward her cousin, who stood with his team on the other side of the hall with the Sand, Cloud, and Sound teams. His glare was so oppressive that she hid behind Naruto during the whole first half, and as they came back out for the second half, she found herself hiding again.

Naruto turned around and looked at her, saying "What's wrong, Hinata?"

"It's Neji..." Hinata mumbled. "He's glaring at me. Ever since Father began to get nicer, Neji's been getting meaner. He can't beat up on me now, so he does little things that Father can't see... I think he really wants to kill me."

"I believe in you, Hinata. You're strong enough to ignore him," Naruto responded in a low voice, hugging her tightly.

"But what if I have to fight him?" Hinata asked.

"Then you'll just kick his butt," Naruto replied. "Right?" He flashed his brightest smile, and Hinata couldn't help but feel weak as she nodded. "See? That's the Hinata I know. Now let's watch the matches. Who knows, maybe he'll fight Gaara and he'll put Neji in his place."

Hinata looked over at the red-haired boy and immediately felt that she'd rather her cousin win than Gaara. She almost sighed in relief as Gaara, whose picture had appeared on the screen, was accompanied by Sakura's picture. Relief was quickly replaced by panic, though, as she remembered what Sakura had told them about his skill in the forest. Turning, she said to Sakura, "Forfeit this match!"

"Of course... there's no way I'm fighting him," Sakura responded as she walked down the stairs. She crossed her arms as Gaara walked down and stood across from her, and although it was difficult to force her fear down, she managed it as she leveled her eyes with him. "Just so you know, I'm not going to bother fighting you, so don't expect to do anything."

"Answer my question, and I shall let you escape with your life," Gaara replied. "Mother does not want your blood."

"That's a relief," Sakura replied half-sarcastically. "Fine, I'll try to answer it as best I can."

Gaara nodded. "Tell me why the thought of you has replaced many of the thoughts in my mind ever since I saw you that day, when Kankuro was being his foolish self."

Sakura was taken back; she thought for sure it would be a difficult question. "I'm sorry, do you mean you've been thinking about me for the past week?"

"Without ceasing, and I do not know why," Gaara responded. "It has frustrated me to no end, because it is only when Mother wants someone's blood that I can focus on a person. However, Mother has made it clear that your blood is not desired, yet I still cannot think of anything aside from you."

Sakura blushed as she realized what was going on. "Uh, I think I know what you're asking, but why not ask your teammate, Temari, about it?" She barely had any time to dodge a blast of sand.

"I must know, and you're the only one who will listen without assuming that I am going to kill you. In all honesty, of course, I probably would have, but for some reason the thought of killing you is sickening." Gaara held his head as if in pain. "Be quick... Mother is getting impatient."

"You're in love with me," Sakura replied, her face matching her hair. "I can't imagine why, since you don't even know me."

"Love..." Gaara muttered. "... What is love?"

"Uh... well..." By this time, people were starting to shout at them to get on with the match or forfeit, but all were quickly silenced as Temari and Kankuro shouted for them to shut up before Gaara grabbed any of them and shut them up permanently. "Well, I don't really understand love myself, but I do know that one of the things about love is that you can't stop thinking about someone, and when you do you feel happy. Kurenai-sensei says that there's far more to love than that, though."

"I see... and where can I find this... 'Kurenai-sensei'?" Gaara asked.

Sakura turned and pointed to Kurenai, who was standing with Chouji. "That's her, right there, but maybe this conversation should be saved until after the preliminaries. I'll tell her that you want to talk to her. Is that okay?"

"I suppose so... Mother has been screaming for blood, and I am nearly at my limit, so I must at least depart into the forest to kill non-humans in there. Excuse me," Gaara replied, then turned to leave.

"Alright." Sakura raised her hand and shouted, "I give up!"

The proctor, who had been listening to the whole conversation, blinked as he said, "Uh, alright... Haruno Sakura has forfeited; Gaara of the Sand is the winner."

Chouji and Sasuke looked at Sakura oddly as she walked up. "What did you two talk about? I thought he was going to turn you into shepherd's pie as soon as the proctor said to begin," Chouji asked.

"Nothing, he just wanted to know something," Sakura replied as she turned to the ring, still blushing as she watched Gaara walk out of the room. Chouji and Sasuke looked at each other and shrugged, then turned back to the screen, which showed the pictures of Shikamaru and Temari.

"Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari of the Sand." The two genin made their way down to the floor and stood opposite to each other. Temari, Shikamaru noted, stood poised and ready to attack with the giant weapon on her back. Shikamaru, of course, was in his loose, lazy stance, which confused Temari to no end.

"Hey, are you ready to begin?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru bit back a "troublesome" comment and instead said, "Let's just get this over with so I can go cloud-watching."

"Hmph, I'll teach you to underestimate me," Temari responded as she pulled out her fan. When the proctor shouted for the match to begin, she said "I won't need more than a quarter-moon to finish this-" She almost missed the quick flick of Shikamaru's wrist, which had sent a kunai headed at her. She blocked with her fan and snorted. "Don't expect me to get done in by cheap tricks. Wind-style: Wind Scythe jutsu!" With a sweep of her fan, she sent large blades of air, which eclipsed that of Kosuke, at Shikamaru. The battle continued on in a similar fashion to the battle between Ino and Kosuke, with Shikamaru doing his best to dodge Temari's attacks. Every time he got room, he muttered "Earth-style: Earth Spike jutsu" and a pillar of rock would shoot through the floor of the stadium. 'Strange, those pillars protect him from my quarter-moon, but he then dodges to another place. There's a lot of them now...' Opening her fan to half-moon, she broke down all of the pillars and smirked. "Hey, your strategy isn't working; not only are you a horrible aim with your jutsu, those pillars weren't strong enough to block my half-moon." She saw him smirking and holding an unusual sign, and as she moved to swing again, she realized that she couldn't move. Looking down with her eyes, she saw a shadow darting from each rock pile to the next, starting from Shikamaru and ending at her own shadow.

"Actually, my plan worked perfectly. The Earth Pillar jutsu is a low-level jutsu that allowed me to add natural shadows to the field, no matter if the spikes stayed up or were broken to pieces by your wind." Shikamaru began imitating folding the fan up, which Temari found herself doing. "Goodnight, Sand Princess," he said as he quickly brought his arms up to his head, which forced Temari to smack herself with the metal part of her giant fan, which easily knocked her out. The shadow quickly retreated back to him and he lazily made his way back to the platform, thinking 'It's a good thing she got impatient; if I'd had to make any more pillars, that plan would not have worked.'

"Akimichi Chouji vs. Kankuro of the Sand!" The next battle was vicious, as Kankuro displayed the power of his puppets and Chouji used his Partial Expansion to deflect the puppet's attacks and attack Kankuro. Kankuro taunted Chouji, but this only pissed the big-boned ninja off and made him use his Human Boulder jutsu. Kankuro really had no chance; one puppet was completely demolished, and the second could not penetrate Chouji's strengthened skin to administer the poison that was on its blades and ended up losing its arms. Kankuro himself tried to attack, but even that turned out to be a puppet as Chouji knocked the log on his back into the wall, revealing an unconscious Kankuro. Chouji returned to his team, cheering with the rest of the Rookie Nine, while Kankuro (who was woken up by Temari and her bottle of smelling-salts) was glad that Gaara had left already so that he wouldn't have to speak of his failure.

The only one not cheering was Hinata, who was muttering "Please let me fight Lee... or even Naruto..." Unfortunately, the screen displayed a far different outcome.

"Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji." Rock Lee, in addition to Naruto and several of the Rookie Nine, shouted objections to the fairness of making family members fight each other, but the proctor blew a whistle and said, "All decisions are final. It may not be a nice setup, but it's final."

"Hmph, as well it should," Neji said as he walked up to the starting point. "They know that Hinata cannot beat me, so they hope to put someone stronger out, though it does not matter; even Lee is not as strong as I am. Only Sasuke and Gaara could ever hope to match me, and they've already had their turn."

"As if... Gaara would flatten him in an instant," Temari muttered. Kankuro nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

Hinata had frozen for a second, but an encouraging pat on the shoulder by Naruto shook her out of her stupor. His smile warmed her up again and gave her the courage to walk down the stairs to face Neji.

"You may have the blessing of your father now," Neji said arrogantly, "but that does not mean that you have any hope at defeating me. Give up and go home, or better yet, retreat with your blond boyfriend when you remember how upset Uncle will be once he finds out that you lost to me, just like every. Other. Time."

Hinata closed her eyes and forced her muscles to relax as her Byakugan flared to life. "You can keep your comments to yourself. Win or lose, you will see that I have improved. I do not wish to be better than you, my dear brother Neji. I just want us to love each other as family should."

"That will never happen!" Neji shouted as his own Byakugan activated. "The Hyuuga family is bound by fate to be split into the main family and the branch family, never to be reconciled!" With that, the two began a dance of blue chakra-fire as each tried to gain an advantage over the other by closing off chakra points in the other's arms. "Hate is our destiny, not love! Love is weak; hate is strong! That's why you've always been weak!" Blasting Hinata back, he got into a stance and said, "You're in my range of divination: one palm, two palms, four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms, thirty-two palms!" As he did this, his arms quickly lanced out and hit Hinata's arms, legs, and chest. "Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!" Hinata backpedaled and knelt down, coughing up blood as Neji stood in front of her, triumphantly.

"You've done enough, Hinata!" "Get out of there!" the voices of the Rookie Nine rang out, seeing the murder in Neji's eyes.

"Your friends may be weak, but they're smart," Neji commented. "Go ahead, give up. Who knows, maybe he'll just put the Caged Bird seal on you."

Hinata's eyes watered as she began to raise her hand, but one voice rang out. "Don't give in to him, Hinata! I believe in you! Remember what you've been taught!" Naruto shouted. "You know how to beat him!"

The fire returned to her eyes as she stood up. "You're right, Naruto... I forgot that I did that already..." Hinata muttered as she stood up. "Neji, no matter how badly you treat me or anyone else, it won't stop my love for you. I've always looked up to you as an older brother... as someone to aspire to... but I have to blaze my own path now. I won't stand in your shadow any longer..." Her hands blazed with chakra as she shot forward, but before they could hit Neji he reached out and began sealing her chakra points again.

"I know you changed your chakra flow to avoid being affected by my attacks, but it's useless," Neji said. Each hit he landed weakened the girl further, until she could barely stand. "And now, the finishing move. Rest in peace!" Just before he reached her, though, hands reached out and restrained Neji.

"You've won the bout, Neji," the proctor said, who pulled out a short sword and leveled it against Neji's neck. "Don't push your luck."

"Bah... you've gotten off lucky," Ignoring the proctor, Neji spat at Hinata as he relaxed. As soon as he did so, she collapsed. "We'll see how long you last..."

"I'd pay more attention to my surroundings if I were you," Kakashi muttered. "Look up, if you don't mind." Neji did and found everyone that had not come down to the floor restraining Naruto, whose eyes seemed to be blazing as red as Sasuke's Sharingan. "If you had followed through, you'd be nothing more than a mass of blood and burnt skin right now."

"Hmph, as if a weakling like that could beat me," Neji said as he shook the jonin loose and turned to leave.

"NEJI!" the roar of Naruto's voice commanded, practically forcing Neji to turn around. Naruto, whose eyes were still red, leaped down to the ground, picked up some of Hinata's blood, and held it out to Neji. "I swear on her blood that, when we meet in battle next month, I will avenge her." Closing his fist around the blood, they both felt, solidified the vow.

"..." Neji scowled and walked off hurriedly, not wanting to be there. He would never admit it then, but he knew instinctively that Naruto meant every word and could back it up.

Naruto turned and knelt down to hold Hinata, his eyes having returned to their crystal-blue color. "You did well, Hinata. I'm proud of you- we're all proud of you, and I know that your father is proud of you. Rest well... I'll see you in the hospital."

"Thank... you... Naruto..." Hinata whispered. Just then, medics came in and began tending to her. They put her on a stretcher and quickly set off for the main hospital in the village proper, since the tower didn't have the right facilities to treat her.

"Uh, everyone, please return to the platforms for the last match: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Rock Lee," the proctor shouted. With that, everyone but Naruto and Lee returned to where they were standing.

"My friend Naruto, please accept my deepest apologies in regards to my comrade!" Lee shouted. "I never could have imagined that he would go so far, and on his own cousin! If I cannot set Neji on the right course, I swear I shall-"

"Later, Lee," Naruto said as he tightened his headband. Smearing Hinata's blood on the metal of his headband, he said, "We have a match to fight, and I'm not about to lose."

"I would gladly forfeit and allow you to move forward and administer justice, but I know you would never allow me to simply quit, and you know that there is no part of my being that would allow me to quit anyway. Whoever wins gets to defend Hinata's honor on the field of combat," Lee responded as he settled into his fighting stance.

"Agreed. You've worked too hard for this," Naruto replied. "Weights or no weights?"

"Take your weights off," Lee replied. "Without them, you're almost as fast as I am with my weights. I want to make sure we both have an equal chance to win."

Naruto nodded and tossed his weights behind him. They collided with the wall and sat in the new cubbyholes that the impacts made. "Let's go. Shadow Clone jutsu!" Four copies of Naruto appeared around him and split up, jumping around erratically.

"Do you think such a petty trick will confuse me? Remember, I am a student of Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted as he leaped at one and landed a hit, knocking Naruto out of the sky. While the four Shadow Clones continued jumping around, Naruto and Lee were locked in a fistfight.

"How did Naruto get so good?" Sakura asked. "He's keeping up with Lee, and I know for a fact that Lee is the fastest one out of all of us Leaf genin!"

"Lee still is," Tenten said as she walked over to where the Rookie Nine were standing. "He hasn't taken off his training weights. They want to fight on equal grounds."

Kiba, who had just returned from the infirmary, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they want to decide who will fight for Hinata's honor. I guess both of them were offended by Neji's actions, just like we all were. Hinata's alright, though she'll be out for a couple of days to a week, but if she hadn't done whatever it was she did she'd probably be out for at least a month."

"A month!?" Ino gasped. "That bastard! I'm so going to wring his neck the next time I see that stuck-up prick!"

"Don't forget, Ino, we used to be attracted to stuck-up pricks," Sakura reminded her, "so we probably don't have any room to talk. Anyway, I'm glad to hear she's alright. I'm going to go visit her once Naruto's fight is done." Ino nodded in agreement.

Tenten smiled and said, "I'm glad to see you three sticking together. I'm going to go visit her, too; Neji's going to spend the whole month training solo, so I'm not going to bother spending time with him." She sighed. "I was really hoping things were getting better at the Hyuuga home, but I guess not."

"Hinata had said that things were getting better with her father, but not with Neji," Shikamaru commented. "He's been treating her even worse, since I suppose he can't beat up on her anymore. That match was probably a lot of pent-up hostility released in one brutal assault. I have to hand it to Hinata, though; she lasted far longer this time than she used to. I hope her father doesn't react too rashly, on either of them." They all nodded as they turned back to the match. Nothing, it seemed, had changed in the past several minutes that they'd been talking. Both of them were punching, kicking, and blocking expertly. 'That's to be expected, since Naruto and Lee spend much of their solo training time training with each other. What is Naruto going to do with those Shadow Clones, though?'

Lee had been thinking the same thing, but he got his answer as he made it through Naruto's defense and punched him in the face, only to have it disappear on him. 'When did he switch a Shadow Clone in!?' Lee thought as he quickly reacted, catching a roundhouse from behind. "Nice job, Naruto, but not good enough!" Lee flipped Naruto over and slammed him into the ground, but frowned as that one, too, disappeared. 'Another one...' He looked around and counted five Naruto bodies running around. 'The Shadow Clone is one impressive skill... he must be trying to wear me down.'

"Water-style: Water Dragon jutsu!" a Naruto shouted as a large dragon appeared behind him and launched itself at Lee, who began dodging as he was chased down. Soon, however, the taijutsu expert was being chased by five Water Dragons that were as fast as he was moving, and soon he found himself cornered. "Got you now!"

"I don't want to open the Gates... Naruto would be dead if I opened even the First Gate, but if I want to win I don't have a choice." He looked up at Gai, who shook his head. Lee nodded back and dropped his weights, then kicked them at the Water Dragons. The Dragons exploded and a couple of people had to duck as the missiles embedded themselves in the wall far deeper than Naruto's had. He disappeared from view and began knocking Naruto around. Kicking him into the air, he unwrapped his arm straps and bound Naruto. "Let me show you one of my techniques. This is the Primary Lotus!" He grabbed Naruto and spun as they fell into the ground. Lee then jumped out of the impact crater and bowed. "My apolo- ack!" He found himself sent into the wall and recalled, too late, that there had been five Water Dragons. He slammed into the wall with the same force he'd slammed Naruto into the ground with, and fell to the ground.

"Uh... Uzumaki? Rock Lee?" the proctor asked. "Well, I guess that they're both-"

"Wait!" a strained voice shouted. Out of the crater Naruto crawled, holding a wound from his head that seemed to be gushing blood. "I can still fight..."

"As... can... I..." Lee said as he picked himself up. No one could tell, but Lee had suffered broken ribs that were making it difficult for him to breathe, and one of his arms was broken as well. A cut on his forehead and being covered in water and dust were the only signs of his having taken a hit. The two of them walked up to each other and nodded once, then wound up and punched each other in the head. For a moment, neither moved, and the crowd gasped in anticipation. Finally, Lee fell to the ground and whispered, "You had... the advantage... longer... reach..." He looked up and cracked a smile, giving Naruto a thumbs-up. "Teach Neji..." With that, he finally fell asleep.

"I guess *cough* Naruto will be moving on to the *cough* next round," the proctor said as he examined Lee, "though I suppose it's a good thing *cough-cough* for him it's not now. Someone get the medics and tend to these two. *cough* The rest of you, I look forward to seeing next month." Coughing up a storm, he left the room and the genin dispersed.

…

Naruto had shaken the medics that were coming to check on him, determined to visit Hinata. Shikamaru quickly joined up with him, and soon Saito and Yuugao were with them as they entered the hospital and made their way to Hinata's bed. On their way in, they met Hiashi and Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi, who stared at Naruto with intense curiosity as they left. Only Shikamaru noticed, though, as everyone else's attention was focused on Hinata, who was still unconscious.

"I can only let you visit for a minute," the attending nurse said. "Miss Hinata hasn't awoken yet, though Lord Hiashi was kind enough to open her chakra points so as to speed her recovery." Noticing Naruto's head wound, she asked "Young man, should you be up and about with such a serious injury? It looks like you've lost a lot of blood, too..."

"Oh, no, this is nothing new," Naruto replied hastily. "I just haven't had much of a chance to clean up the blood."

"I see. Very well, then," the nurse replied, then turned to Saito and Yuugao. "I expect that Miss Hinata will be up and about within a week, but it might be a day or two before she wakes up."

"Thank you, ma'am," Saito responded, bowing. "Come on, everyone, let's go. We need to set up a training schedule for the two of you."

"Go ahead, sensei. I'll catch up," Naruto replied.

Saito looked at him and said, "Naruto, there's nothing you can do for her right now. The only thing you can do is train and get ready to face Neji and Gaara in the finals."

"Please, sensei?" Naruto asked earnestly. "I..."

Saito sighed and nodded. "We'll step out, but you can only have a couple of minutes, if it's alright with the nurse."

"It's fine with me, but this technically is against protocol," the nurse responded as she followed behind Saito and the others.

As soon as the door closed, Naruto moved over to the side of Hinata's bed and took her hand. "I'm so sorry... I knew that Neji was too strong for any of us, except maybe Shikamaru, to beat, but I encouraged you to stand and fight anyway. It was stupid, and it nearly cost you your life..." Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes. "Please forgive me, though I don't deserve it. I promise, I'll save Neji or die trying." Driven by an impulse he didn't understand, he leaned forward and kissed Hinata on her cheek, and as he did a couple of tears fell onto Hinata's cheek. "I'll be back tomorrow, believe it." Drying his eyes, he left Hinata to recover and joined the others outside.

Later, the two genin found themselves at their usual training field. "Both of you performed admirably," Saito responded. "I was originally going to pull you all out before the third part began, because I'm still not convinced that any of you have what it takes to be promoted to the rank of chunin. For one thing, you still don't have enough experience in the different types of assignments, and you're not mature enough to handle running missions on your own. However, circumstances have drastically changed, and all of you are going to be needed to take part in the final test of the Chunin Exam."

"What, exactly, has changed?" Shikamaru asked.

"We're facing war, and it will likely take place here in the village," Saito responded. "You weren't going to be told, but, like I said, circumstances have changed. The other main point is that most of you did so well in your respective matches that, if we were to pull you, it would upset the balance of the final battles."

"Is it the Sand Village? Aren't they our ally, though?" Naruto asked.

"Possibly, but like Shikamaru probably figured out the Sound Village is going to run it. We also have reason to believe that Orochimaru is, in fact, the leader of the Sound Village, but we have no concrete proof," Yuugao answered. "That Gaara kid is probably their ace-in-the-hole."

"Gaara did say something about his mother wanting Sasuke's blood, but Sai, Haku's teammate, said that there's been no bad blood between the Uchiha and the Sand Village," Naruto commented.

"His 'mother'?" Saito asked. "But his mother has been dead since his birth; she died giving birth to him. Curious... why would he think his mother is still alive? His father never remarried, so it couldn't be a stepmother..."

"Wait, do you actually know who Gaara is?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, he and his teammates are the children of the Kage of the Sand Village," Saito replied.

"WHAT!?" both Naruto and Shikamaru shouted. "There's no way that any leader could have such a psychotic son."

"Remember Itachi?" Saito retorted, which effectively silenced the two of them. "Anyway, that's not the case. What is the case is that his instability could be the key to causing enough chaos for Orochimaru's forces to slip in and destroy the village, though I imagine Orochimaru wants to go for the throat immediately. Without a Hokage, the village will not recover and will be ripe for invasion from Rock and/or Cloud, should they choose to move."

"Well, that makes sense," Shikamaru responded. "Orochimaru was one of the Third's last students, along with Jiraiya and Tsunade. Fitting that the Professor's students became the Sannin... We need to evacuate the Hokage to a safe place and initiate a preemptive strike on Sound."

"That wouldn't be the best idea," Yuugao responded. "Kabuto clammed up and Kin hardly knew anything, except that the orders of her team were to kill Uchiha Sasuke."

"Why would anyone target Sasuke? To maybe draw Itachi out of hiding, or kill off the last loyal Uchiha and deprive the Leaf of a strong ninja?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru shook his head and said, "That makes no sense. Orochimaru was in the Forest of Death and clearly after Sasuke himself. If it wasn't for Lord Jiraiya's traps, we probably would've been killed and Sasuke would've likely been captured, or something to that effect." He was about to tell them about their hypotheses, but he decided to bring it up with the Hokage instead, since the Hokage knew far more about Orochimaru and would be able to confirm some of the things they'd talked about.

"Okay, so Sasuke needs to miss the final exam, but what if that forces Orochimaru's hand? We need to be on the lookout for suspicious activity during this month..." Saito said to himself and then looked at Yuugao. "Think we can convince Kakashi to take Sasuke away on a training trip secretly to a remote location, away from either Sound or Sand territory?"

"That sounds like a good plan," Yuugao replied. "Let's get these two situated, though." Looking at Naruto and Shikamaru, she said "I've asked Hiashi to train you two in combat against the Gentle Fist. I'll continue to train you, Shikamaru, and Saito will train Hinata in the interim. Naruto, Jiraiya has asked to have the opportunity to train you during this upcoming month."

"Well, I suppose. He is the Toad Sage, and the teacher of the Fourth Hokage," Naruto replied. "I was hoping that you two would be able to train me, though."

"We will, but only in a supplementary role this month," Saito responded. "Trust me, Lord Jiraiya is much stronger than I am, so you'd learn more from him." He ruffled Naruto's blood-stained hair and said, "Now, let's get your headband cleaned, not to mention the rest of you."

"The headband is fine the way it is, sensei," Naruto replied defiantly. "I'm keeping it as it is, at least until after the Exams are over."

"..." Saito smiled knowingly and nodded. "I understand. Let's get to the baths; I booked the whole afternoon for the three of us to spend some time relaxing in the hot spring."

"As long as Pervy-Sage isn't there peeping on the woman's side like last time," Naruto muttered. "Stupid perverted adults..." Saito chuckled as he led the two genin off to the baths, while Yuugao walked off in another direction to speak with Kakashi.

…

"Achoo!" The sneeze was so sudden that Jiraiya had no time to cover his mouth, which caused the women in the female side of the bathhouse to freak out and run for the safety of inside the building. "Geeze, why does that always happen in the middle of my sessions? First my brat of a godson with a rock, then a sneeze out of nowhere... ah well, better go see the old man about beefing up security prior to the final part of the Exam."


	6. Chapter 6

A week later, Naruto found himself in a mountainous region in the northern area of the Land of Fire with Jiraiya. "Why are we out here, Pervy-Sage? That's a long walk for some tricks, especially since I have to be back in a week to continue my training with Lord Hiashi."

"Why the title for him and not me?" Jiraiya asked.

"Because he's not perverted," Naruto mumbled.

"I am not a pervert..." Jiraiya retorted even as he posed. "I am a SUPER PERVERT!"

"... Great, I'm stuck with a perverted idiot... are all old men like this?" Naruto muttered.

Jiraiya sighed and stopped Naruto. "Look, whether I'm a pervert or not has nothing to do with my ninja skills. Among various supplementary skills I'll help you with, there's two jutsu I want to teach you, but there's only enough time to learn one. In order to use it effectively, though, you need to be able to consciously utilize your second source of chakra."

"Second source? But everyone has only one source!" Naruto retorted.

"Not everyone has even one source; that's why not everyone can be a ninja. You and precious few others have a second source of chakra, but normally you can't use it unless you're in a state of rage," Jiraiya said. "You showed this twice during the Wave mission, and you nearly burst during the preliminaries. You have it; you simply need to learn how to harness it."

"Say I believe you. How do I go about accessing it?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya shrugged as he pulled out a large scroll. "First I need you to sign something."

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"It's the Toad Summoning scroll," Jiraiya responded. "This may give you an edge against Neji and Gaara in the finals. You'll need to sign it with your blood, though."

Naruto nodded and knelt down to sign it when he noticed a name. "Hey, the Fourth DID use toads as summons! Just like during the Academy Exam!" As Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, Naruto poked his index finger with a kunai and signed his name below the Fourth's. "Awesome! I can use a jutsu that the Fourth used now!"

"After I teach you the hand signs," Jiraiya said as he began showing Naruto the hand signs. "These three you use to summon, and this one you use to send your summon partner back. Let's get to work practicing." Naruto began, but soon ended up with a pile of tadpoles. "Alright, this isn't working." He then made Naruto send the tadpoles back. "Let's empty your normal reserves; we'll work on your chakra control tomorrow. Make as many Shadow Clones as you can, then keep using the Water Dragon jutsu until you can't do it anymore." Naruto nodded and several hundred Naruto clones appeared along the path around them. They all began to let loose Water Dragons left and right, until all the clones disappeared and he had dropped to his knees in exhaustion. "Okay, now try to focus on obtaining that chakra. Surely you remember how it feels... if not, then remember when Sasuke 'died', or when Hinata was nearly killed."

Naruto nodded and began to focus, but while the anger was there it didn't seem to well up. "It's not working..."

"Hm..." Jiraiya thought about it for a moment. 'Maybe it'll come out if the Fox thinks that Naruto is in mortal danger, since if he dies, the Fox dies as well.' "Naruto, how much do you trust me...?"

"Uh... is this a trick question?" Naruto replied sarcastically. "You may be one of the Sannin, but I've already had one after my head- well, more Sasuke's than mine- and until recently most of the villagers have been out to get me. How am I supposed to think any differently of you, since you could simply be waiting for the right moment?"

"..." With a pained expression, Jiraiya turned away and leaned against the side of the mountain. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry you had to experience all of that. I never imagined that you would end up going through so much. Minato must be rolling in his grave right now..." Quickly forming a blue orb in his hand, he shoved it into the mountain and it made a large hole in it.

"Why do you have to be sorry? You weren't there chasing me down the streets," Naruto responded.

"But I was there when you were born," Jiraiya responded. "Minato told me what he was planning on doing and knocked me out before I could stop him. When I came to, the Third had already told me what had happened. He..." He threw the orb, which flew a distance before crashing into a distant mountain and exploding with vicious force.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Master Jiraiya. I didn't mean to vent my frustration on you," Naruto said as he trotted up to Jiraiya and patted him on the back. "What's done is done. All that matters is what is next, right?"

"But what happened then is vital to everything that is happening now, and what will happen soon..." Jiraiya responded. "Also, several years back I had the chance to kill Orochimaru, but I knew that Sarutobi-sensei wanted me to rescue him, so I didn't kill him and he slipped through my fingers. I lost track of him after that."

"But he was your teammate," Naruto responded. "No one would blame you for not wanting to kill him. I couldn't do it, for sure."

Jiraiya shook his head. "I know, but this whole thing with Sound could have been avoided if I had killed him, and everything that happened to you wouldn't have happened if I had stayed around to raise you."

"Raise me? What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"I mean that I'm your godfather," Jiraiya responded. "I was supposed to raise you in the event that your parents were killed. They were both ninja, so it was a possibility."

"Wait, you know my parents!?" Naruto practically jumped on Jiraiya. "Please tell me about them!" he shouted, not quite out of anger but more from desperation.

"I can't... though I'm a Sage, I'm still technically a jonin of the Leaf and am bound by the Third's law to not tell anyone about your secrets," Jiraiya responded. "I will tell you this, though. Your father was one heck of a ninja, which is why I know you can handle anything."

Naruto sighed. "Thanks... I guess it was a long shot. Can you tell me anything at all, things that won't reveal who he was?"

"I guess so. He was a lot like you, actually," Jiraiya began. "Very hyper as a kid, with lots of potential. As I watched him grow, he matured very well and became a dependable leader. During the war with Rock, he led several excursions into their territory and won many victories for the Leaf. Unfortunately, he was among many of the casualties during the Nine-tailed Fox incident; his body was never recovered, but he definitely died in the line of duty. Your mother died giving birth to you; she wasn't really built physically for child-bearing... I'll explain what I mean by that later. She did get to hold you for a few moments, I'm told, before closing her eyes for the last time; she's the one who had named you." He held Naruto's shoulders as they looked out over the valley, the sun setting just above the Leaf Village directly in front of them. "You have a legacy of honor, commitment, and bravery to live up to."

"... Thanks, Jiraiya," Naruto said, sniffling as he tried to hold back his tears. "I wish I'd gotten to know them."

"They would've absolutely adored you," Jiraiya said. "They were looking forward to your birth so much... I remember your father asking me to help set up your nursery. That was fun; it took us hours just to set up your crib, and then we had to get the mobile right and set up the stuffed animals just like how your mother wanted them. It's ironic; the biggest one there was a fox, kind of like the one I heard that you got the Hyuuga princess."

"Yeah... and now the Fox is dead, my parents are dead, Hinata's in the hospital, and I've just gotten the price on my head off only because I'm a ninja now," Naruto muttered. "Life's looking up, that's for sure."

"Uh... look, there's one thing wrong with that sentence," Jiraiya interjected. "Before I tell you, though, will you promise not to be mad at me for what I'm about to do?"

Naruto looked at him weirdly. "Depends on what you're going to do."

"I'm giving you an edge. The Toad summon does take a lot of chakra, especially with the more powerful summons, but their chakra can't be sealed by a Hyuuga. This goes the same for any summon, by the way," Jiraiya said. "But in order to pull this off, I need to make sure that you can access the second source of chakra."

Naruto felt his headband and nodded, saying "Alright, I trust that your intentions are good, though I still don't know what you're getting at."

"You will in a minute," Jiraiya said as he picked Naruto up and threw him off the edge.

"WAAAAAAAH!" Naruto shouted as he fell. 'I don't even have enough chakra for a substitution!' He closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable.

…

"Whoa!" Naruto said as his feet landed on soft dirt, though there was no pain as he landed, as if he'd simply jumped up normally.

"Boy, we have no time for pleasantries today. You're falling to our death, and you need my chakra," a voice sounded. Naruto looked up and saw a giant gate, behind which red eyes glared down at him. "I shall not die because my landlord is a complete moron." With that, chakra began to pour through the bars and engulf Naruto, who shouted from surprise as he got swept away.

…

Naruto's eyes opened as he quickly did the hand signs. "Summoning jutsu!" The downward rush quickly became an upward rush as something appeared underneath him.

Jiraiya smiled as a huge toad appeared. "Hey, Bunta! Long time no see, huh?"

Gamabunta turned his head and looked at Jiraiya in exasperation. "Why did you summon me? I don't see any battles going on; this desolate place is no place to hold a battle anyway!"

"Actually, I didn't summon you," Jiraiya pointed out. "He did."

Gamabunta paused as he felt something crawling across his back. He lifted a webbed foot and picked up Naruto, who had been scrambling to stay on the huge slime-covered toad. "Huh, looks like the other one. Is this his brat?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Jiraiya affirmed.

"Ha! Should have known! Come on, boy, let's see if you can handle me!" Putting Naruto back on his back, Gamabunta started hopping around, covering great lengths of field with each hop.

"WHOAAAA!" Naruto shouted, just barely hanging on with his feet, which had a little bit of chakra to keep him planted on the toad's back.

Several minutes later Gamabunta came back to the mountain and put Naruto down next to Jiraiya. "Listen, boy, you may have been able to summon me, but you need to learn how to summon the lesser toads before I accept you as one of our summoners. And Jiraiya, I expect to see some sake the next time you decide to yank me from the dinner table!" The giant toad disappeared in a poof, leaving the two humans behind.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Naruto said, jumping once but finding himself still unsteady.

"Come on, Naruto, let's get back to the village," Jiraiya responded as he hefted Naruto onto his back. "I'll tell you about some of my battles on the way, and why you were suddenly able to summon the toad boss."

…

"And that's the situation," Shino said as he stood in front of the Hokage. "I apologize for having accepted that promise without consulting with you first."

"You did your best, Shino. She has provided us with valuable information in regards to the nature and layout of the Sound Village," the Hokage replied, "so it was worth rescuing her."

Jiraiya was deep in thought, but was able to keep up with the conversation anyway. "Anko's Curse Seal is incomplete, so I need to capture someone with a completed Curse Seal, but if what Kin said about it is true then I'm in a pickle. Lord Hokage, I can't protect you and also be on the lookout for this one person at the same time."

"ANBU is a powerful force, especially with ROOT taken care of, so you should focus on defensive measures. If I remember my student, I know he'll want to be as close to the action as he possibly can, and if he's as powerful as you're saying, then we'll have to be sure about even the Kages that come to watch. The Sand leader, in particular, will need to be monitored, in case Orochimaru uses him to infiltrate the final exam the same way he sneaked into the second portion," the Hokage responded.

"That would be extremely dangerous," Jiraiya agreed. "With two villages under his direct control, not to mention a Jinchuuriki, we'd have a lot of trouble simply surviving. Granted that Sound is made up of rogues, and Sand isn't as powerful as it used to be... but we're still in big trouble."

"'Jinchuuriki'?" Shino asked.

Jiraiya slapped his forehead with his palm, while Sarutobi sighed. "Sorry, Shino. We can't tell you," the Hokage replied. "That will be all. We'll deal with Tayuya when she shows herself."

"Thank you, sir. Again, my apologies for letting this happen," Shino said as he bowed and excused himself.

…

"It was awesome, Hinata!" Naruto quietly exclaimed as he sat next to Hinata's bed. "Boss can cover miles and miles of ground in a single jump, and he's taller than the Hokage Mountain, and he's got this huge sword- though for him I think it's more of a short sword- on his back, and I was able to summon him! Crazy, huh?"

Hinata chuckled as Naruto talked. "It is, especially since you said you didn't have any more chakra. How did you get so much in so little time?"

"I don't really remember... As I was falling, I closed my eyes, and then my eyes opened and I could feel my body coursing with chakra," Naruto responded. "Jiraiya-sensei is going to explain what happened when I meet with him later, but he said something about having a second source of chakra."

"But I've never heard of a ninja having a second source of chakra," Hinata said.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "He said that I'm one of a few people who do. Anyway, I don't mean to keep going on and on about me. How are you feeling today?"

"Great. The doctor said that I'll be able to go home today, though tomorrow Saito-sensei wants to start training immediately. The doctor gave the okay, so I guess it'll be back to business as usual," Hinata replied. "The best part is that Father wasn't upset or disappointed. He said that he was proud of me for standing up to Neji and for making it so far in the Exam, even though I've been a ninja for only a few months."

"That's awesome, Hinata!" Naruto said as he hugged her.

"Yeah; they're planning a big welcome-home party for me tonight, too. Hanabi told me, though she said it was supposed to be a surprise," Hinata said.

Naruto chuckled. "I guess we'll have to call up Ino to erase that memory, huh?"

Hinata shook her head, smiling lightly as she thought about her friend. "Oh, I'm not going to bother her about it, especially since she's been busy with that Cloud genin she fought. He left today and she's been pouting ever since; nearly caused an international incident when Kosuke refused to depart with his team, but from what Sakura said the Hokage is hopeful that it'll foster better relationships between us and Cloud."

"Aw, man, Ino's chasing guys again? I'm surprised she has any time, what with Anko-sensei doubling the training they're doing," Naruto replied. "The only one not really doing anything is Shino. Is he feeling any better?"

"Yeah, there wasn't any damage," Hinata replied.

"I hope not. That had to hurt," Naruto said, wincing as he imagined it. "I'll bet he's not going to be hanging around her much."

"Actually, they already made up. Tenten is training him to use his sword better," Hinata noted.

"That huge thing? I swear, he's going to knock some heads off just from hitting them with the broad side," Naruto joked. "But if anyone can teach him, aside from Zabuza, it's probably Tenten."

"She said it's helpful for her training, too, especially since Neji is training on his own," Hinata said, sadness creeping into her voice at the end. "Father says that he's even more obsessive about it than usual. It's like he's possessed by a demon."

The room was filled with an oppressive silence for several moments as they looked at each other, seeming to know the other person's thoughts. "Don't worry, Hinata. I'll get him for you," Naruto replied.

Suddenly the nurse came in and said, "Lord Jiraiya is waiting for you, Naruto."

"Guess I gotta go," Naruto said as he stood up and hugged Hinata again. "I'll see you later; maybe I'll be around when you get home."

"Maybe. I'll look forward to it," Hinata replied, smiling as she hugged him back.

…

"I can't do it, Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke said, panting deeply. "I'm a fire user; this lightning chakra is so different."

"You have a dual-type, Sasuke. Just let it flow, and you'll get it," Kakashi replied.

"Why am I learning this jutsu, anyway?" Sasuke asked.

"It's my only original jutsu," Kakashi replied. "I'd rather leave it with you than anyone else. Normally it's used for assassination missions, but you'll need it against Gaara. I watched a video captured in the Forest of Death, and no attack was able to penetrate his sand. I noticed that there is a time-delay, though, hence the heavy training weights. Your family's fighting style is fast anyway, so maybe you'll be able to get through his sand defense without needing to use the Chidori; if you fight Neji, you may need that speed to avoid his strikes."

Sasuke nodded. "What's the difference between the Chidori and your Lightning Blade?"

"The Lightning Blade is nearly silent, but the Chidori has a psychological effect that is difficult to compensate for," Kakashi said. "Now stop talking and focus; we've got three weeks left, and you NEED to perfect this attack as best you can in that time."

…

"Hah, I knew that guy from Sand was a wimp," Zaku said as he bolted through a forest, making his way from the deserts of Wind Country to the Sound Village. "Muttering to himself about some chick half the time, and his mother the other half... the Otokage is going to flip, but he's always got a plan-"

Gaara had, at that point, stepped out from behind a tree and caught Zaku's leg with a tendril of sand. "You're a fool... and your village is one of fools. Mother will feast on that day, and your leader will have what he wants, but tonight Mother desires your blood. She detests traitors, as you have proven yourself to be tonight."

As Gaara's sand lifted Zaku up by his leg and began to slowly encase him, Zaku shouted "Sound will avenge me! Once the Leaf burns to ashes, Sand will turn to broken crystal! Do you hear me?"

"Sound is dangerous, but even so it can do nothing on its own, as it is merely the vibration of the bones in the ear that produces sound. And like all bone..." The sand had, at the point, smothered the Sound ninja. Gaara closed his hand and watched with his psychotic smile as blood dripped down from the floating orb of sand and said, "it is easily crushed."

…

"So, what you're saying is that I no longer have ANY genin to participate in the final match!? First I'm down to two, and now I don't even have the body of one?!" the Otokage asked, his fury veiled only by a thin layer of authority.

"Yes, my lord, that appears to be the case. Of course, Dosu could be replaced in his match by any of us since he wore so many clothes that one could never see who was, in fact, underneath," a red-haired teenager replied.

"The match itself is not my concern; they were to be useful in the final part of my plan," the Otokage replied. "I must have the corpses of three strong yet young ninja, so their moving on to the final match was never intended, but I have no one of that age group except the four of you." Sighing, he said, "You will take Dosu's place in the exam, just so that no one will think us as weak during the tournament; do make sure to bind yourself well so that people will think you're a boy. You will also do well to remember that he did not have a Curse Seal. That will be all." He waved away the girl and was alone in his chambers as he reflected on his current predicament. "I have no choice... the jutsu can be done with only three if they're in their level two state, but who will take the place of the genin? I guess I'll grab some civilians, and I'll deal with any possible consequences when the time comes."

…

Meanwhile, the girl had stepped into her cell to change, thankful for the four walls that protected her from the other members of the Sound Four. Though they were all orphans, she knew that she was different from the other three in that her loyalty to the Otokage wasn't because he'd 'rescued' them from the life they would've endured otherwise, but because she had no alternative. Kin had shown this easily from her own experiences, to the point where she would defend the girl and threaten to kill them if they in any way tried to exploit Kin. "Damn it, Kin, what happened? Why couldn't you simply survive the exam? I can't even bury you, for crying out loud..." Wiping away her emerging tears, Tayuya began to put together an outfit similar to Dosu's. "Geeze, why do these things simply insist on getting bigger?" she muttered to herself as she began binding her ribcage with chakra tape. "Least I'm good at genjutsu... doubt I'd have kept those dogs off of me until now without it." The chakra tape began to constrict and she now appeared in the mirror to have a flat chest. "This is about the only decent invention they have nowadays... now, to the costume itself." After spending some time mixing and matching, she managed to cobble together an outfit that resembled Dosu's, which looked surprisingly accurate when she put it on. "I can always say that I felt like wearing something different."

"Hey, Tayuya! Ready to go!?" a voice came out from the other side of her door.

Lacing her response with coarse language and insulting names, as she typically did in public, Tayuya said "Shut up! I'm coming!"

"Tayuya, you know how Jirobo feels about your language," another voice rang out.

"He can take it up with the Otokage if he's so concerned!" Tayuya responded as she finished putting her shoes on. Stepping out, she quickly went to her duties as she began preparing for the final part of the Chunin Exam.

…

Hiashi watched silently as Naruto approached him. 'Lord Jiraiya seems to have high hopes for the boy, and if his father is who I think he is, then those hopes won't be disappointed. Perhaps it's a good thing for Hinata to be attracted to him, but I need to really start doing my duty as a father if I'm going to be able to teach her what she needs to know as an adult, not just as a ninja.' His face continued to keep its neutral expression as he moved to the dueling circle. "Naruto, I am glad you could make it. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes, sir," Naruto responded as he shed his cloak, gave it to Jiraiya, then walked into the circle.

"This might be rather unorthodox, but you only have a few weeks left, and you need to know how to fight Neji. Once you can beat him, you should be able to beat most any other opponent," Hiashi said as he slipped into the Gentle Fist stance. When his eyes activated, he had to blink and adjust his focus to compensate for the seal and the extra chakra that flowed from it. 'I wonder if he knows about the Fox...' "Naruto, our style is very proactive against non-Hyuuga opponents, so expect Neji to rush you." With that, he was on top of Naruto and a hand posed right in front of his chest, surprising Naruto as he hadn't seen the older man move. "You'll need to be fast to avoid his strikes; one well-placed attack will cause your heart to explode, and I can guarantee you that being Hinata's knight-in-shining-armor makes you Neji's number-one target."

"Knight... in shining armor?" Naruto asked, a blank expression crossing his face. "Wait, you mean that my being friends with Hinata means that Neji will be out to kill me? But won't he be arrested for killing a fellow Leaf ninja?"

Hiashi shook his head sadly. "He doesn't care. All he wants is revenge, and I'm afraid that even I cannot reach him at this point, not without using the Caged Bird seal, and that would cause Hinata more pain and Neji to hate her even more."

"But she's never done anything to him!" Naruto objected.

Hiashi stepped back and the two of them began light-sparring as he said, "I know, but he's trying to take revenge on me through Hinata. If Neji wants to tell you, then you should probably hear what happened from him. The only time emotions are pure is during combat, so if there's any part of him that still yearns to be saved from what he's become, he'll reach out to you then. Now, listen, Neji might not know this next skill, but I suspect that he's smart enough to figure out how it works. Eight Trigrams: Rotation!" Chakra erupted from Hiashi's body as he began spinning. A large dome of blue chakra slammed into Naruto and sent him flying, though he recovered quick enough to land on his feet as Hiashi stopped spinning. "That's 'Rotation'. The Hyuuga are blessed with excellent chakra control, though I spent many years training to hold as much chakra as Kakashi does while maintaining my control. A perfectly-formed Rotation will use the least amount of chakra while also having the force of a stronger-leveled elemental jutsu; if I had Neji's reserves and my current control, I could use it twenty times and still have enough to close every chakra point on ten people, but I know that Neji's control is nowhere near mine, so he'll waste energy during a Rotation. Your best strategy is to try to take him out from far away and force him to use the Rotation repeatedly, but if he doesn't know it you might actually be in a worse position, since the Rotation wasn't meant for a genin to learn or use on the battlefield."

"I have Shadow Clones, so I could send an army at him, but even with my weights off I'm only as fast as Lee is with his weights on," Naruto noted. "What if he's able to close the chakra to my arms before I can start making Shadow Clones?"

"Then forfeit, unless you know how to use your chakra to force your chakra points to open up again quickly," Hiashi replied gravely. "But given who you are, and what's at stake here, I don't expect you to simply quit unless you're dead. Let's continue; we'll try and make sure you know how to see the Rotation coming, and how to avoid strikes to the arm, since that's where a jutsu begins."

…

The Hokage looked sternly at Jiraiya. "We have a week left, and you're telling me that you have nothing that you could use against Orochimaru!?"

"I'm not saying that, sensei," Jiraiya replied nervously; in truth, he'd spent so much time training Naruto, which he was now really enjoying, that he'd forgotten that he was in charge of security. "I'm saying that I need to know how Orochimaru will appear if I'm going to have any chance of stopping what he's got planned AND keep you safe in the process. Jutsu aren't all that selective, you know..."

The Hokage sighed and said, "... Fine. My guess is that he'll probably be either the Otokage himself, since two of his genin moved on in the rounds, or one of his guards. Maybe he'll show up masquerading as the Sand's leader, or even one of his guards."

"Don't forget that he was a Grass ninja during the second part, so he could technically be anyone," Jiraiya pointed out.

"I guess the only thing to do is to set up a trap around the Kage Box," the Hokage replied.

"If that's the case, then I've got a good idea, long as you can have a Shadow Clone ready," Jiraiya said.

"Boy, I've been able to use it long before you," the Hokage answered, "so don't think you can underestimate me just because I'm a bit older than you."

"Yes, sensei!" Grinning, Jiraiya disappeared from the room so he could work on the trap.


	7. Chapter 7

A stadium for sports competitions had been built in the center of the Leaf Village for civilians to enjoy, but it was most well-known for every time the Hokage rented it out (which he insisted on) for the Chunin Exams. It was large and held more than enough room for the entire populations of the two largest ninja villages, Leaf and Cloud. At this place, cheers could be heard from even the city gates as everyone got ready for the final part of the Third Test. People from both ninja villages and strictly civilian towns had come in to watch, since it was easily the largest event on the continent. It was also the most looked-forward to event in any nation because it brought in the most overall revenue from a single event for civilian businesses (even S-ranked missions would pale in comparison to the net profit statements issued by all the businesses).

In the largest VIP box, the Hokage sat with two other village leaders and their guards as they waited for the emcee to announce the beginning of the event. He turned to the leader of the Sand Village and said, "I'm glad you could make it, friend, though I wish you would've replied to my overtures to discuss the Daimyo's actions and how we can fix them so Sand will be more prosperous."

"All in due time, my friend," the Sand leader replied, though the Hokage noted something odd about his voice. "First we shall get the Exam out of the way, and then we can begin our... discussions, since I am in the area and all."

"Agreed," the Hokage replied as he turned to the field where a Leaf jonin had taken the field.

…

Meanwhile, Naruto, Sasuke, Chouji, and Shikamaru sat in one of the locker rooms. Neji, Gaara, and 'Dosu' had gone onto the field already to await the beginning of the exam. Shikamaru looked grim as he stared at each one in turn. "We've got a long day ahead of us, and I need the three of you to stay sharp, alright?"

"What's going on, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked. "Is this about the invasion?"

Shikamaru nodded and said, "Yeah. I've been trying to gather and connect various fragments together to figure out what the Hokage and Master Jiraiya believe is going to happen, and I've come up with a reasonable guess. The invasion is, in fact, going forward today. Orochimaru himself is going to show up, disguised like when we encountered him in the Forest, but much higher up so he can be close to the Hokage. Master Jiraiya has a sort of... pardon me, Shino... a 'flytrap' to isolate Orochimaru and any guards that he might have, so we don't have to worry too much about that. The problem is the trigger for the invasion. Shino has told me of a term I've never heard of before, at least, being used to refer to a human. 'Jinchuuriki', they called it. If my hunch is correct, then Gaara contains some powerful secret, one that would rock the ninja world if it leaked out, and it makes sense given his reflexive control of sand. What it is, I'm not sure, but I think it might be best if we let Gaara win the tournament. Tenten will probably forfeit if she has to fight Gaara, since it's proven that weapons are no match for his sand. However, if Ino ends up going against Gaara, things could get ugly. I've seen that guy's eyes, and I'm guessing that his mind is not the most stable; if Ino jumps in there, things could REALLY get out of hand, and perhaps that is what Orochimaru is waiting for."

"Don't forget Neji," Sasuke noted. "We don't know who is going to fight who. I think that if Neji fights him there could be trouble... he's fast like Lee, so he might be able to get close enough to Gaara to take him on hand-to-hand, and we don't know if Gaara can even fight at that range. If he can't, then Neji can probably eliminate him as a competitor, but if he can, then Neji might just trigger whatever the signal is." He scowled and crossed his arms, adding "If only we knew just what the signal was, we'd know better how to move on!"

"In either case," Shikamaru said, "whenever the trigger is released, do everything you can to draw Gaara away from the village, and we'll back you up. I'll grab the rest of the Rookie Nine and follow; I am not going to fight him at all, since he can still use his sand even if I control his bodily movements."

"This assumes a lot, Shikamaru," Chouji said as he tore into a bag of chips. "What if Dosu fights Gaara and triggers it? Dosu's part of the Sound crew, so he'll do whatever he can to keep Gaara IN the village, to cause as much chaos as possible."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Shikamaru responded. "Not everything can be accounted for, but if Dosu does become the catalyst, then one of us can distract him while the rest of us draw Gaara out of the village. Also, Shino told me about his deal with that girl from the Sound Squad, Tsuchi Kin. Apparently we need also to find a Sound ninja and detain her, if possible. She has a powerful summoning jutsu, but she is reliant on her weapon, a flute, to activate it, so if we can disarm her of it, we may be able to stop her. However, she also has what Kin called a 'demon mode' in which she transforms into a demonic being and her power spikes tremendously, so we need to figure out how to trap her, since she'll likely show up somewhere during the exam."

"That's a lot of uncertainty, especially from you," Naruto said. "What if we can't stop her, especially if we're trying to contain Gaara?"

"Then we'll have to rely on Kin to come out of hiding and convince the target to give up." The announcement for them to appear on the field sounded out, and they all stood up. "It looks like we're out of time. Good hunting, everyone, and stay alive."

On the field, the nine contestants stood an arm's length from each other as the emcee began speaking. "Welcome, citizens of the Elemental Nations, to the semi-annual Chunin Exam!" Applause erupted from every corner of the stadium, and he waited for a moment before continuing, saying "We have nine contestants today, all ready and raring to go, itching to prove their skills in combat. Of course, the final determination rests with the committee; the winner of the tournament could possibly not qualify, while someone who got knocked out in the first round could be promoted instead, but I'll tell you what, winning the tournament is always a big plus!" Turning to face the genin, he said, "Will the following genin please step forward: Uzumaki Naruto, and Hyuuga Neji!"

Cheers and catcalls intermingled with each other as the two opponents stepped forward and stood at opposite ends of the stadium. Naruto had early on learned to block out such things, focusing solely on Neji, who stood cross-armed and as arrogantly as he'd ever seen the older boy. "You're going down today, Neji! You'll pay for what you did to Hinata!"

"Fate has dictated that you should be my first victim; not only that, but you are a sign that I shall, in fact, win this tournament!" Neji announced, his look not changing as he slipped into his stance.

"Are you two ready to begin?" the emcee asked. Getting a nod from the both of them, he stepped back and declared "Let the tournament begin! Naruto vs. Neji: Fight!"

"Shadow Clone jutsu!" Naruto said as a crowd of copies appeared and rushed at Neji, who ducked and weaved among the clones and dispersed them with well-placed strikes. Reaching the back of the pack, he went straight for the heart, but that one disappeared as well, and it was thanks only to the Byakugan that he was able to avoid the combo from behind as more clones appeared.

"Clever, Naruto... you must have learned that the Byakugan cannot tell the difference between a Shadow Clone and the real deal," Neji muttered as he began to disperse each clone that came at him. "You also realized that I would naturally assume that you'd use the Shadow Clone in the normal way, and so you hid yourself among your Shadow Clones. It won't work for long, though!"

"That's what you think!" shouted one of the Naruto clones as it threw a huuma shuriken at Neji, who ducked it but found himself surprised when the shuriken transformed back into Naruto, who then launched a volley of kunai at him. Neji used the Replacement jutsu with one of the clones and continued his assault.

"Nice try, but I think you need to learn a lesson on fighting the Hyuuga!" Neji shouted as chakra began to pour out of his body. As the clones converged on him, Neji began to spin and a sphere of chakra expanded out from him. Every clone that hit the wall of chakra was dispersed, but Naruto had seen it coming and stayed away from it "Eight Trigrams: Rotation. The secret art of the Gentle Fist style, and one closely guarded by the main branch... until today!"

…

"Father, how did he figure out how to use the Rotation?" Hanabi asked. The Hyuuga family, sans Hinata, had gathered at one part of the stadium and sat together; Hinata had sat in one of the special boxes for teammates.

"To put it simply, Hanabi, your cousin is truly a genius, and if I can't use this situation to somehow convince the elders to abolish the Caged Bird seal, then we may very well be in trouble, not to mention the trouble the branch family will be in," Hiashi replied. "I'm glad I thought ahead of him, though, and taught Naruto how to counter the Rotation. It'll come down to chakra reserves, and Naruto far outclasses Neji there."

"Wait, how can Rotation be countered?" Hanabi inquired, confusion evident in her young face. "I thought you said it could not be countered."

"The elders think it so, but I know better. There is no jutsu that is unstoppable, and you would do well to remember that, should you still want to pursue the life of a ninja," Hiashi said. "Heh, but if I know my little firecracker as well as I hope, you'll want to improve on it, right?"

"Yup! The Rotation should be foolproof, and I'll find a way!" Hanabi declared. She flinched and smiled as Hiashi played with her hair a bit. "C'mon, Dad, stop that! Hehe~"

"I will. Besides, it looks like our friend Naruto needs our cheers," Hiashi said and shouted "Come on, Naruto!" In his mind, he contemplated how he'd changed over the months. 'I would never have done that, but now I'm glad I can, thanks to my daughters and Naruto... I hope he can break through the shell Neji built up around himself. He needs to know the truth...'

…

Meanwhile, Naruto had found himself being backed up into the proverbial corner. Neji had repeatedly used Rotation to weed out the clones, but he himself was nowhere near where he needed to be in terms of gaining the upper hand. He didn't dare use any of his elemental jutsu since those would simply waste his chakra reserves. "Neji, tell me something! Why do you hate Hinata so much? What would a gentle soul like hers do to cause you so much pain?!"

"It's not about Hinata! It's about what she as the heiress represents!" Neji spat as he continued to fight Naruto's clones. "It's about the injustice and repression I and my family have endured for so long, not like you'd know anything about that. Being an orphan must be nice, not having anyone to tell you that you can't do this or that, always having the shadow of death lingering over you!" He ripped off his headband and showed Naruto the Caged Bird seal, his eyes filled with pain and rage. "The main family says it's to keep our eyes from enemies, but it's just a pair of handcuffs and a kunai to the back of our head at the same time, to keep us in servitude from birth to death! It's our fate- but not anymore!" His hands glowing, Neji began assaulting Naruto. "One palm, two palms, four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms, thirty-two palms, sixty-four palms!" As Naruto fell backward, Neji muttered "Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms. Accept your fate."

"If fate is so strong, why do you fight against it?" Naruto wheezed as he tried to sit up, all the while trying to force chakra through his closed coils.

"Because just as fate decided to put me in the branch family, it also gave me the skills and the genius to break out and choose my own path," Neji replied. "Do you want to know how fate did that? I'll tell you... Hiashi had a brother, my father. They weren't just brothers, either, but twin brothers. Born at the same time, or so people would have you think. In this instance, one minute made all the difference in the world. One minute. Do you think that was fair, to decide someone's place in the span of a minute, especially when they have no control or say in it? My father didn't mind it much, but when he was sealed, he began to grow distant and cold to all of us. Why do I blame Hinata specifically? It's because she was so weak that she was kidnapped. A ninja from Cloud kidnapped her, but Hiashi killed him. When Cloud demanded Hiashi's body as recompense, they sent my father instead, hoping that the fact that they were twins wouldn't be discovered. He was killed, his eyes burnt out by the Caged Bird seal, and his body is now in some unmarked grave in Cloud! All because his twin brother was too selfish to give up Hinata or die himself!" His fist glowed as he began to launch it at Naruto's chest. "You were fated to die here once you aligned yourself with the main branch, so die!"

…

"Wow, talk about a whiny brat," the Fox muttered to himself. "Naruto, use my chakra; there's no way I'm letting some Harry Hard-Walk destroy me!"

…

Neji stopped, shocked as he saw red chakra begin to circulate through Naruto's body, opening up every pathway he'd blocked. Naruto's hand reached up, grabbed Neji's fist, and squeezed so tightly that the joints began to snap apart. Neji stifled an agonized scream as he ripped his hand from Naruto's grasp, which hung limply as Naruto began to stand up. "You're right, Neji; I don't know your pain. I can't even imagine the pain you must feel every day for all these years, without your father there to protect you or guide you. How dare you, though, assume that I do not have to face pain every day. Having Saito-sensei and Yuugao-sensei has awakened my eyes to see what I've been missing out on since birth. Being born with something you cannot control, though... I know that pain all too well."

"Wh-wh-what are you-" Neji began, truly feeling fear for perhaps the first time in his life as the malevolent force from the red chakra exuded from Naruto's body.

"Being forced to steal scraps of food, never having warm clothing during the winter or a roof over my head that wasn't looking like it was going to collapse on me... always living in fear that some villager would appear and kill me in their drunken stupor... DON'T YOU DARE ASSUME THAT I DON'T KNOW PAIN!" Naruto shouted as he made four more Shadow Clones. As they began to chant "Uzumaki Naruto Combo!", one punched Neji and sent him flying back into two others that kicked him into the air. The fourth bicycle-kicked Neji further into the air, then then real Naruto planted a heel drop on Neji's head, sending him into the ground. As the boy tried to pick himself up, Naruto landed and punched Neji clean in the face, sending the kid sprawling to the ground again. "I would kill you, but that would make Hinata sad, and you need to learn the truth of what happened that day; from what I know of Lord Hiashi, he wouldn't have sent his brother to his own demise." Neji was out cold, though, and Naruto knew he could not be heard, so the red chakra began to subside as his system purified it into normal chakra.

The emcee ran up and checked Neji, then stood up and announced, "The winner of this round is Uzumaki Naruto!" Cheers began to erupt from all around the stadium, this time far exceeding the boos and offensive language coming from his detractors.

Naruto managed to drag his tired self to where his teammates and his friend were waiting for him. Hinata rushed up to him and hugged him tightly. "Are you alright, Naruto? You fought so well, but I was afraid that once Neji sealed your coils you were done for!"

"I simply had to pull out my ace-in-the-hole, as Pervy-Sage calls it," Naruto replied. "I'd suggest that you go see Neji, but I think your father is going to want some alone time with him." They both looked up and saw Hiashi's seat empty, but what surprised them even more was Hanabi. She was staring at Naruto with amazement and wonder.

"I think you have a new number-one fan," Hinata commented, chuckling lightly.

"Oh man... I have my hands full with just Konohamaru and his gang," Naruto replied, dreading having another kid trailing after him all the time. At the same time, though, it filled him with pride that younger people were looking up to him.

Sakura, who was with them, leaned over and whispered to Hinata, saying "You'd better stake your claim now, or else you'll have to compete with Hanabi too." This made Hinata blush bright-red, to Naruto's confusion.

After Neji had been cleared off of the field, the emcee began speaking. "I'll tell you what, if that's the kind of battle we're to expect today from all of our competitors, then we're definitely in for a treat! Nara Shikamaru vs. Akimichi Chouji, please step forward!"

"Aw, man!" Chouji complained. "Why couldn't they just send Gaara out to fight someone else and have this whole thing begin already?"

"Patience, Chouji," Shikamaru muttered. "Do you want to move on? I don't plan on exerting myself until the invasion begins."

"Sounds good to me," Chouji replied. "Can your shadow hold me while I'm in my Human Boulder state?"

"Probably, but I can always make it look like it didn't," Shikamaru said. "I'd ask you to be gentle, but then I don't expect getting hit with a giant rock-like object to simply bounce off of me."

The two took up their positions and stared at each other, waiting for the emcee to call the match. He looked at the both of them, then called out "Chouji vs. Shikamaru! Begin!"

"Human Boulder!" Chouji announced as he expanded dramatically, turning into a giant ball that began to quicikly roll at Shikamaru, who'd been caught by surprise and barely dodged the attack.

"Okay, didn't expect that... all that training really did pay off, after all," Shikamaru said as he drew his sword. He slashed at Chouji, but the blade simply bounced off and Shikamaru got knocked aside as Chouji turned away. "Sword isn't working... in this state, even if I did catch him in my shadow, there's nothing I could do to make him fall. It looks like I may end up having to forfeit after all... okay, how do I do this and make it look good?" He muttered under his breath as he continued to dodge the rolling tank, trying to find a safe place to plan, but he knew he wasn't going to get it because he knew how long Chouji could keep up his jutsu up. Running along the wall of the stadium, he barely managed to keep ahead of the portly ninja and began planting explosive tags along the wall itself. They weren't lethal, but would be convincing enough to showcase both his planning and Chouji's resiliency. After planting all of them along the wall, he launched himself off and ran to the opposite side of the arena. He then ran up the wall and launched himself over Chouji, detonating the first tag as Chouji ran into it. The explosion sent Chouji flying into another tag, which turned him into a human pinball as he bounced from one tag to another. The people against the wall had all moved back to not be caught in the explosions, and it was clear that after the exam the walls would have to be fixed. The stadium was filled with smoke as the explosions stopped, and no one could see the arena, so all waited with bated breath to see if that had been enough to stop the juggernaut. As it cleared, though, they saw a body fly through the air and fall back to the ground. In the middle of the ring stood Chouji, while Shikamaru laid on the ground, seeming to be unconscious.

"The winner is Akimichi Chouji!" the emcee announced. "Can you believe it!? Not even a minefield could stop this guy! That's the power of the Akimichi family for you!" The cheers from the crowd affirmed their agreement.

"I guess I owe you, Shikamaru..." Chouji said as he picked his friend up and carried him back to the teammate box. "I'll get you a bag of chips or something when you wake up."

…

"Impressive!" the Sand leader exclaimed. "The pineapple-head is very clever, but the fat one is very strong. I wonder how he would do against Gaara."

"We might see soon enough, once the rest of the individuals have a turn," the Hokage replied. "I must admit, I've been rather surprised by all of the results thus far. Not only did one Sound member make it to the finals, but also only your youngest son."

"Yes, Gaara is very strong..." the Sand leader declared proudly. "In fact, I'm banking on him making it all the way to the final round, and winning that as well."

"But I'm sure it won't get that far before you spring your trap. Isn't that right, my old apprentice?" the Hokage retorted, whispering into the man's ear.

"Kukuku... I knew I could never pull the wool over your eyes for long. It's surprising, given that reason, that you have never been able to catch me until now," Orochimaru responded. "However, we must be civil about these things. Look, would we not want to see which of our students is promoted- oh wait, I forgot, you don't have any students. I guarantee that none of them will beat mine, let alone Gaara. Kukuku... she is definitely the strongest, for sure, but I'd love to see Sasuke take her on, see how far along the boy is in his training."

'Not if I have anything to do about it.' "I agree. Let's see how the battles turn out," the Hokage said as the emcee began speaking.

…

As Ino heard "Dosu of Sound vs. Yamanaka Ino! Fight!", she found herself on the defensive as Dosu quickly launched an assault. "Okay, what to do..." she muttered to herself while evading the Sound ninja's attacks. 'Dosu seems to be different than he was a month ago; not only is he stronger and faster, he even looks and moves different. Before, he was stiff and militaristic, but now he's fluid and flexible. Time to do some investigative work.' Ino wasn't sure if she could pull the jutsu off, but she'd seen her father do it to many clients over the years, so she had a fairly good idea how to do it, but getting Dosu to hold still would prove challenging. 'Hmm, how about some psychological warfare? Anko-sensei is always using it on me...' Ino smirked as she changed her stance, having decided on her plan of action.

'Dosu', or rather Tayuya, frowned as her opponent, who seemed to be on the run the whole time, had now turned around and was standing differently. 'What is this girl up to?' Tayuya wondered as she fingered her flute, resisting the urge to pull it out and quickly win the match. 'Stupid Dosu... he never did have any skill. How he managed to get this far, I'll never know...' Her thoughts, however, did a complete one-eighty as Ino began her counterattack.

"So, big boy, you like blondes?" Ino taunted as Dosu tried to punch her. She quickly dodged and groped Dosu's butt, stepping back to enjoy her opponent losing balance. "Ooh, such a firm butt. I bet you're all muscles underneath those heavy clothes." As Dosu turned around, Ino made a seal and said, "Memory Viewing jutsu!"

_"What is this?" Ino asked herself as she looked at the memory. She saw a red-haired girl standing over a pile of clothes, which she began to mix-and-match and put on. She couldn't hear what the girl was thinking, but it was clear that the redhead was dressing up like Dosu._

_ "Hey, Tayuya! Ready to go?" a voice came from behind Ino._

_ Before Ino could comment, though, she heard a different voice. "Hey! Who said you could look at my thoughts!?" the voice screamed, and Ino quickly found herself canceling the jutsu._

Back on the field, Ino saw that 'Dosu' was fighting more fiercely than ever. "Whoa!" Ino muttered as she quickly backpedaled, staying out of the cross-dresser's range. "Hey, is your name Tayuya?"

"Yes, you freaky lesbian, now hold still while I kill you! It's gonna take me months to wipe that memory, thank you very much," Tayuya said forcefully.

"I'm not a lesbian- wait, hold on!" Ino pleaded, finding herself tiring out. "Are you Kin's sister, then?"

"How do you know Kin? Did you kill her?!" Tayuya shouted, seeming to move faster each minute.

"Kin's alive! No one even injured her, let alone killed her!" Ino replied, now using a kunai to ward off Tayuya. "She's with Witness Protection, and one of the conditions she mentioned was to rescue you!"

"That doesn't matter, even if I believed you! He knows where I am at all times, thanks to the Curse Seal!" Tayuya retorted. "I don't like any of this one bit, but I am his pawn and that is my destiny!"

"Master Jiraiya is here, though! He can destroy the Curse Seal! You know what? I'm going to forfeit and get him for you! I'll even get Kin so you can see I'm telling the truth, and if I'm not, you have permission to kill me!" Ino was now getting desperate, and they both knew it, but Ino hoped that Tayuya knew that all people tell the truth when facing death.

Tayuya paused and thought it over. 'Okay, she may be crazy, but if she's telling the truth... and why not? Orochimaru never tells the truth unless it suits him. It's clear that Kin was nothing more than a pawn, either, and she was going to die during the Exam like Zaku and Dosu in order to bring about his evil scheme.' "Fine, but he'll get suspicious if I don't beat you myself."

"Understood," Ino replied as she ran up to Tayuya and slashed at her with the kunai. Tayuya, in turn, sidestepped the attack and kicked her in the stomach. Ino fell to the ground and pretended to be unconscious, though the pain from that kick was enough to make her dizzy for several moments.

"Winner: Dosu!" the emcee announced. 'Dosu' said nothing and stepped into the building as the crowd applauded.

A few seconds later, Ino pulled herself up as if shaking off her unconsciousness and limped back to the competitor's box. As she sat down, she whispered into Naruto's ear, saying "Found her... get Master Jiraiya and tell him to get Kin and take her to Tayuya, who is waiting inside the stadium. Hurry... I think that things are about to get heated up here."

Naruto nodded and made a Shadow Clone and transformed it into a dog, which leaped off in search for the old man. He quickly found him in the shadows of one of the arena's towers. "Hey, Pervy-Sage..." he whispered.

"Only one person ever calls me that..." Jiraiya said as he looked down. "What is it, Naruto?"

"We found her. She's disguised as Dosu. Ino told me to tell you to get Kin and bring her here to meet with Tayuya," Naruto said, still whispering.

"Thank you, Naruto. Dispel yourself; it looks like Sasuke is up now," Jiraiya muttered, then disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Sasuke stood opposite Gaara. "May the best ninja win," Sasuke said as he offered his hand.

"..." Gaara stared at Sasuke's hand curiously. "What is this gesture for?"

"Sportsmanship," Sasuke replied, though he had to remind himself that Gaara had no such concept. "It means that win or lose, everything's good between us."

"Nothing is good even now; Mother wants your blood, and it's all I can do to hold her back until the match starts," Gaara replied as he stepped back to take his position.

'There has to be something we can do to save him,' Sasuke thought as he took his own position. 'I just hope everyone's ready... Chidori will probably hurt him, and I for one don't want to be around when that happens.' Tightening his headband around his head, his eyes blazed red as the Sharingan activated and he took his stance.

"Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara of the Sand! Begin!" the proctor announced.

…

"Kin!" Tayuya shouted from glee as she opened the door and saw her little sister. The two of them embraced warmly as Tayuya began to cry. "Orochimaru told me you'd died! I should have known better than to believe him!"

"It's alright, nee-san!" Kin replied happily, also crying tears of joy. "These people have treated me so nicely, but it always reminded me of you. I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Family reunions are always the best, but we're working against the clock, right?" Jiraiya interjected. "Tayuya, please show me your seal and explain what Orochimaru is planning?"

Tayuya took the wrappings off of her neck and began to talk as Jiraiya examined the seal. "I know he plans on unleashing his snake summon on the village once Gaara transforms. He also planned on using me and my three companions to trap your leader in an unbreakable box so he could have a one-on-one with him. With me down here, he must be planning on generating it with the power of their Curse Seals, since we don't have enough chakra to do it with just three of us, on our own. I don't know why he wanted me down here, but it's clear he at least needed to keep up appearances; if 'Dosu' could be made a chunin then the Sound village would have better standing."

"Okay, well, then your people are the one in trouble, if that's it," Jiraiya muttered as he pulled out a piece of scrap paper and began scribbling notes. "The Hokage is safe, and until I get this off of you that's all I'm willing to chance saying. Like Anko's, he added some of his own chakra to it. Thankfully with this I can figure out a way to reverse-engineer it..." He pulled out a brush and ink, then began to carefully write on top of her seal. "This will block the effects for the most part, though when Orochimaru dies you might feel some pain as his chakra dissipates. After that, I'll be able to take it off completely."

"It doesn't matter how much pain there is, long as I'm free from his clutches," Tayuya replied.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of this," Jiraiya said. "If I had killed him when I had the chance, several years ago, none of this would've happened."

"He's a very slippery guy," Kin commented. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out how many times he's cheated death, to be honest."

At that moment the stadium began to rumble. "Oh no... it's begun!" Tayuya exclaimed.

"Let's go," Jiraiya ordered, and the three of them stepped out into the hallway, hoping to make it back onto the field before the building came down on them.

…

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gaara shouted as blood poured profusely from his shoulder. Not more than ten seconds ago, Sasuke had managed to land a hit with his Chidori, though he did it only to try and take the boy down rather than kill him. This, he noted, was a horrible mistake as Gaara's sand encapsulated the boy, and his hand along with it. By channeling lightning chakra, Sasuke was able to pull it out before it got crushed, but before he could do much else an explosion from another area caught his attention. He now noticed two things: a giant snake was loose in the village, and the Kage Box was sealed off from the outside by a purple barrier. "There's the signal!" he shouted to the others as he leaped into action.


	8. Chapter 8

As soon as Sasuke had landed his Chidori, several Sound ninja appeared on the stadium overhangs and begun casting a sleep-causing genjutsu on the crowds. They were surprised, though, when several Leaf ninja who were scattered about the arena broke the genjutsu and engaged them in combat. Other ninja began evacuating the civilians from the arena as the battle became an all-out melee between Leaf's forces and both Sand and Sound.

…

In the Kage's Box, Sarutobi calmly rose to his feet. "So, this is how you planned on isolating me and killing me, huh? And I suppose you thought that coming as the Sand leader helped you get in because you thought I'd think you were the Sound leader?"

"Don't act like you expected it!" Orochimaru spat. "I will achieve immortality, and you will die here and now for not allowing me to pursue my dream."

"Your 'dream' has cost countless lives, but the buck stops here," Sarutobi replied as he gathered chakra. "Sealing jutsu: Collapsing Room of Death!" Around the three Sound guards that had been holding the barrier up, another barrier came up, this one a spherical shape, which then began to get smaller. As soon as it touched the guards, they screamed in pain as they began to dissolve; within seconds they were non-existent, as if they hadn't been there in the first place.

"You fool! You would sacrifice yourself to kill me!?" Orochimaru asked, now panicking as he knew the power of sealing jutsu.

"You'd like that, I know, and while I hate to disappoint..." Sarutobi said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"... SENSEI! JIRAIYA!" Orochimaru shouted in pure rage as he began looking in vain for some weakness to the barrier. Soon nothing could be seen except for a concave shape inside the building where the box had been.

…

"You shall be mourned, my student," Sarutobi whispered as he fought Sound troops in the city.

"Sensei, did it work?" Jiraiya asked as he met up with the Hokage.

Sarutobi nodded, saying "It did work... though a part of me still wishes I could have turned him back from the path he was on." There was no more time for words, though, as troops kept rushing them with jutsu and weapons.

…

Back at the arena, the Rookie Nine who were not already engaged were greeted with a horrid sight. Gaara had burst from his sand sphere and was half-covered in his own sand. His damaged arm was covered up to his shoulder and looked more like the clawed arm of an animal than the sophisticated hand of a human, and he had a tail made of sand stretching out from behind him.

Sasuke gulped and leaped off, remembering to lead it away and hoping Gaara would follow his animal-like instincts and chase the fleeing one. He was answered as Gaara launched after him, and after the both of them had left, Naruto leaped off after them. Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba followed after them, though Akamaru obviously wanted nothing to do with this next battle.

Farther out into the forest outside the village, Sasuke turned around and began attacking Gaara with his Grand Fireball jutsu, knowing that this was a life-or-death situation and so he needed to pull out all the stops. It just wasn't enough as the half-transformed Gaara began attacking, surprising the Uchiha with physical attacks that were almost beast-like in their ferocity. Sasuke could barely avoid the strikes from his sand, which he knew were far more potent than any punch or kick from the crazed red-head. Even as the others arrived, it was apparent to everyone that Sasuke was losing, so they all jumped in.

"Stay out of this!" Gaara, whose voice sounded warped and twisted, shouted at everyone. "His blood is the blood that will satisfy Mother! If you interfere, I will be forced to feed her your blood as well!" No matter what attack they tried to use on him, Gaara kept on shrugging off their attempts and charging at Sasuke. After several minutes, Gaara lashed out with his sand and pinned everyone except Naruto, who'd used a Shadow Clone, and Sasuke to a tree. "If you want to save your friends, you're going to have to kill me!"

"Not a problem," Sasuke said as he began charging up a Chidori, only to find that sparks barely flew. 'Oh no, I'm out of chakra...' Unfortunately, this distraction was enough for Gaara to get in a solid blow, knocking the raven-haired genin for a loop.

Turning to Naruto, Gaara said, "Naruto, do not get in my way. I must please Mother..."

"Not on your life! I will defend them up until the moment I breathe my last breath!" Naruto shouted.

"Why? Why do you defend these weaklings?" Gaara asked as he launched himself at Naruto, who dropped his weights and began dodging Gaara's attacks. "Why do you defend your village so hard?"

"Because I love my home!" Naruto replied.

"Love..." Gaara muttered. "What is love!?"

"It's the feeling you get when you want to defend those close to you no matter how they treat you back!" Naruto replied.

"Fine! Prove your love!" Gaara shouted as he made a hand sign. As he gathered his chakra, his voice returned to normal and shouted, "Don't let him do it! If he gets out, he'll-" The voice returned and said, "Shut up! Forced Sleep jutsu!" Immediately Gaara fell to the ground, fast asleep. A terrible feeling sank into Naruto's gut as he recognized the chakra welling up from inside Gaara. Red chakra leaked out of Gaara and gathered all the sand around him, lifting him up high into the sky as the sand seemed to multiply and expand. A gigantic tanuki monster formed of sand now towered over Naruto and the gang and roared a laugh. "Finally! I AM FREE!"

"No..." Naruto whispered as he finally put two and two together. "If he has the One-tailed Demon Tanuki, then I..." His hands shaking, he felt himself pulled into his inner mind.

…

Naruto stood before the gate once more, staring at the Fox. "Hey, Fox! We've got a major problem here!"

"Finally figured it out, huh?" the Fox lazily replied. "Well, good thing about the Tanuki is that my power far eclipses his, but given my seal I can't make you transform like he did."

"I don't need your form, just your chakra!" Naruto replied. "I figure it's the least you can do for all the pain I endured because of you!"

"Whatever, boy. Just don't say I never did anything for you," the Fox replied as chakra began to leak out of him.

…

The monster paused as he recognized the chakra welling up in Naruto. "So, my container isn't the only one, huh!? Well, that works for me! Once I kill you, I'll absorb all of his chakra and become the new Nine-tailed Beast myself! Wind-style: Wind Bullet jutsu!" He exhaled a blast of wind that, had Naruto not Substituted, would've knocked the boy all the way back to the Hokage Tower.

Naruto had a different idea, though. Taking a page from the Fourth's playbook, he bit his thumb and used the Fox's jutsu as he shouted "Summoning jutsu!" Immediately, Gamabunta appeared out of the puff of smoke underneath him, and he now stood at eye-level with Gaara, who was asleep on top of the Tanuki's head. "Boss, we've got a big problem!"

"I can see that, boy," Gamabunta grunted as he glared at the One-tailed Beast. "This will be a worthy battle, but a difficult one. You do know that demons cannot be killed, right?"

"Yeah, but I need to rescue Gaara!" Naruto replied as he pointed at the sleeping teen. "That happened when he fell asleep!"

"Ah, so that kid is like you? Well, we'd better wake him up, then. We do that, no doubt the demon will sink back into its seal," 'Bunta replied. "Got any bright ideas on how to wake him up?"

"Not yet," Naruto said, frowning. "Best thing I can do is smack him about a bit. Any way you can get me close?" They paused as the Tanuki took a swipe at them.

"We need to knock him off-balance," Bunta replied.

"Ah, I can do that. He won't be seeing this coming... I assume you can do a transformation?" Naruto asked.

"Definitely," the toad replied as they both started channeling their chakra, then shouted "Transform!" The two disappeared in a puff of smoke, but what replaced them shocked both the Tanuki and the genin who were still conscious though trapped: the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, in all its power, stood there and grinned maliciously as it roared and swatted the shocked One-tailed Beast away. As the demon shook off its shock, they transformed back and Naruto leaped off of Gamabunta's back.

"Wake up, Gaara!" Naruto shouted as he landed in front of the boy and slugged him in the head. Even as Naruto began to sink into the sand, Gaara stirred and the beast began to lose his control.

"No, no, no, no, NOOO! I won't go back!" the Tanuki shouted as he collapsed, his form collapsing like a sand castle being knocked over by a wave. The sand retreated into Gaara's gourd, and soon the exhausted teens stood there, facing each other and barely able to stand. Gaara looked like he was about to cry as he muttered, "Go ahead, kill me and be done with it."

"No... you won't take the coward's way out! If I wanted to kill you, I'd have sunk a kunai into your head instead of waking you up," Naruto replied as he dragged himself up to Gaara and slapped him in the face. "You and I... we're alike."

"Yes... Mother keeps ranting about you and your prisoner, the Nine-tailed Fox," Gaara replied. "But if you suffered as I have, why do you continue to protect the very village that persecutes you?"

"It wasn't easy," Naruto replied truthfully. "Many times I had to run and hide, but over the years I've gained people who love me unconditionally, and I owe it to them to return that same love. You have people like that in your life, too; live for them, at first, and show them that you are not a monster, but a human. Eventually they and others will begin to come around. I've been learning that it will take a long time, but I will become the Hokage so that the people of the village will know that I love them and will protect them for as long as I am alive, just as my father did."

Flabbergasted, Gaara sat down and thought about it. "I... see... you're right, I do have people who love me." He looked over at Temari and Kankuro, who despite seeing their brother defeated were ready to jump in if it looked like Gaara was in mortal danger. "Thank you for showing me that."

"That's what friends do, Gaara. They look out for each other, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Friends..." Slowly, a soft smile crossed Gaara's face. "Yes, I would like that very much. I wish I could rest, but if I faint then the Tanuki will be unleashed once again."

"We can call Master Jiraiya," Sasuke said as he walked up with Sakura and the others. "He might be able to fix your seal, if you want. No guarantees, since I don't know the first thing about seals, but it's worth a shot." He then offered his hand to Gaara. "I'm very sorry for wounding you with the Chidori, and I want you to know that any friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine, because he is my brother in every sense but blood."

"I thank you for your friendship, Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara replied as Sasuke helped him up. Turning to his family, he limped over to them and surprised them by hugging them, crying tears of relief and sadness. After a few minutes, the three of them walked back over.

"Please call Master Jiraiya," Temari pleaded. "I want my brother to have a normal life..."

"We will," Shikamaru replied, surprising Naruto as he'd figured Shikamaru had already wandered off. "Naruto, do you know where he'll be?"

"Likely fighting alongside the old man, I'll bet," Naruto replied. "Either that or spying on the women in the baths... stupid Pervy-Sage." Everyone looked at him, some with confusion and others with surprised recognition, and others (mainly the Sand siblings) with just the thought that they were missing something.

"Right... probably still fighting against that giant snake," Shikamaru said, then disappeared into the forest from where they'd come from.

"You guys can go back to the village and finish mopping up the Sound ninjas; I'll stay and make sure Jiraiya fixes Gaara," Naruto announced to the others.

"Hey, Naruto..." Sakura started, but one look from Kiba shut her up about the subject she was going to broach, so she took another tack. "... Thank you. Thank you for defending us. I'm sorry for how I used to treat you in the Academy. I was selfish about getting Sasuke's attention, and I didn't want to pay any attention to you."

"I already forgave you, Sakura," Naruto replied, though his eyes were misting over. "Can we be friends?"

"Of course, silly!" Sakura replied as she hugged the blond hero. "Definitely friends, shannaro!"

"Group hug!" Kiba shouted and pulled Hinata into a hug with the others. Sasuke, who had been standing next to Gaara, ended up getting even the Sand siblings pulled into the group hug, and although it was awkward at first it became warm and friendly.

"I didn't know kids liked orgies," Jiraiya said as he appeared. "Wait until you're older for that sort of thing."

"Pervy-Sage!" Naruto shouted as they all separated, feeling embarrassed and awkward again. "It was just a group hug! Sheesh... look, can you fix Gaara's seal?"

"I can try," Jiraiya said. "Gaara, may I see your seal?"

Gaara nodded and a little sand jumped out of his gourd, swirling about his feet a bit. The seal, which like Naruto had been placed on his stomach, showed up and Jiraiya buried his face in the palm of his hand. "Come on, if you guys were going to do something as dangerous as this, at least call on a real seal expert!" Pulling out his ink and brushes, he looked over at Naruto. "Naruto, I need to copy yours." Naruto nodded and took his shirt off, channeling what little chakra he had left to make the seal appear. "Gaara, this is a temporary stop-over until I can permanently fix your seal, which will take time to research. I've already memorized the layout of your seal, and using Naruto's seal I can make enough changes to keep a tighter rein on the Tanuki. At the least, he won't be screaming in your head and taking over when you sleep. I'll escort you three to your village tomorrow and continue working on a new seal."

"You have our deepest gratitude, Lord Jiraiya" Temari said, bowing in deep respect. "We do not deserve to have the likes of a Sannin tending to our brother like this."

Jiraiya was tempted to tell them that it was only because Naruto had requested it, but seeing how distraught Naruto seemed to be he simply said, "You're welcome. Gaara, if you feel the feeling to flinch from having the brush against your stomach, please suppress it with your willpower so I don't make a mistake and have to do it over." With that, he began to doodle. Gaara, unfamiliar to the feeling, realized that it took every ounce of his control to keep his face neutral and his stomach muscles from contracting. After what seemed like hours but was only a minute, Jiraiya stood up and nodded. "That should do for the time being. Go rest, young one."

"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya..." Gaara replied as he fell to the ground, fast asleep. True to Jiraiya's word, no demonic chakra leaked out, no sand swirled around him, and his face indeed looked peaceful.

Temari and Kankuro picked up Gaara, bowed to Jiraiya, and took off to return to their hotel. Jiraiya turned and looked sternly at Naruto. "Naruto, what happened out here? I heard some screaming and I saw the two of you in the distance, only it was your... tenants..."

"I did what I had to do to defend the village, Pervy-Sage! Gamabunta and I did a combo-transformation jutsu, and I simply picked the best thing I could think of. The Tanuki didn't expect the Fox to appear like he did, and I needed to wake Gaara up," Naruto replied defiantly.

"That's all well and good, but you do know that most of the village will be out for your head now," Jiraiya said. "It was a good idea in the short-term, but the best that could happen is a temporary banishment. The Hokage is alive thanks to everyone's efforts, but unfortunately if nothing is done riots could break out."

"That won't happen," Sasuke said. "The last time a mob tried to kill Naruto, back during the Festival, several people died and were put on display. Not only that, but if the Fox had broken out it'd likely be thrashing the village as we speak! Shouldn't that be evidence enough that the Fox is still solidly contained?"

"It won't be easy, but since the civilian council has no say in ninja affairs we could dodge the kunai on this," Sakura reminded them. "All we need to do is prove that Naruto used the Fox as a motif for his transformation, and that will be easy enough with a mind-walker." Ino nodded in agreement.

Jiraiya nodded as well. "Sounds like a plan. Let's all go get cleaned up; thankfully the snake disappeared when Orochimaru died, and most of the Sound and Sand troops surrendered as word got around."

…

The battle had left the village looking like a tornado ripped through it. The worst damage had occurred in the marketplace area in the center of the village, which was where the snake was set up to be summoned. As a result, many of the merchants and shopkeepers spent the next week cleaning up and rebuilding their stores. The losses suffered from destroyed wares were picked up by the Hokage and Jiraiya, while the ninja corps was busy, from genin to even the ANBU, helped with the restoration efforts. Naruto, however, was kept on house arrest and out of the public eye, which was doable because Hiashi offered to take the boy in until his court martial took place. One reason was because Hiashi was sympathetic to the boy for his efforts. The other, more official, reason was to watch him for signs of the seal breaking. Hiashi knew instinctively, though, that Naruto was not the Nine-tailed Demon Fox or even under the demon's control, because of the conversation he'd had with Neji as soon as the battle had ended.

_ "How are you feeling?" Hiashi said as he walked into Neji's recovery room. Neji simply stared out into space, so Hiashi sat down in a chair next to the bed and began speaking. "I am sorry... you were never told what really happened, and that was my fault. I assumed you were mature enough to understand, but when I realized the depth of your hatred there was nothing I could do. That night, when we sent my mother's son to the people of Cloud, I was fully ready to give myself up for the sake of the clan. My motivation had been because I could no longer bear to live without my wife, but Hizashi surprised me by volunteering to go. He said, 'I love this family, and I want my son to understand how to love. No matter what, we can control our own destiny. Hiashi, please take care of Neji for me... he doesn't deserve to be a Caged Bird.' He then pulled out a dagger from inside his robe and stabbed himself, dying immediately." Neji's head whirled around in shock, but was even more shocked to see Hiashi weeping from the memory as he continued. "I couldn't stop him... Even as I reached out, even as I called for the medics, I knew that nothing could be done; indeed, nothing should have been done. Your father loved you and all of us, and he proved it while I hid away in my own cowardice." Neji would've had a heart attack if he'd been an older man as he watched Hiashi drop to his knees and bow remorsefully. "Please forgive your foolish uncle..." This was the last straw for Neji, who began sobbing as well as he got off the bed and hugged Hiashi. They knew the upcoming weeks and even months would not be easy, as years of habits are not easily broken, but they were determined to see it through._

'If Naruto were influenced by the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, there's no way my nephew could have made such a turnaround, no matter what I said,' Hiashi thought as Naruto and Neji trained together. 'I hope that they can see how much he has done for me and my family... I think it's time the Hyuuga family comes out of hiding. Maybe then the seal can get revoked and further healing can begin.' He looked over as Hinata came out of the house, carrying a tray of plates to Neji and Naruto, who stopped to help her set the plates down. The three of them began to eat together, though Neji still looked uncomfortable to be around Hinata. 'Yeah, it's going to take some time. Neji still feels bad about what he did to Hinata, and no matter how many times she says "I forgive you," he'll have a hard time coming to grips with himself.' Smiling to himself, he stepped over to them and joined them for lunch. It felt good, he decided, to enjoy family like this, but he had a gut feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse.

…

On a hill overlooking the Leaf Village, two men stood for several moments. They were as different as night and day from looks to demeanor, but their similarity came from the black cloak that they wore. On it were etched many red clouds, and would later be recognized as the symbol for the infamous "Red Dawn". "Hey, Itachi, feeling a little homesick?" the tall 'man' asked his companion, if he could even be called a man anymore: blue skin, eyes with vertical slits instead of circular, a mouth full of razor-sharp triangular-shaped teeth, and gills were the most telling parts that this man had either been born with a genetic defect or else he was the subject of a very cruel experiment.

The black-haired man turned his blazing-red eyes to his companion and replied without emotion, "Why should I, Kisame?"

"Yeah. A mass-murderer nostalgic for his home," Kisame replied, roaring with laughter. "So, this is where the Nine-tailed Demon lives, huh?"

"Yes," Itachi replied. "He was sealed thirteen years ago. Our Fourth Hokage died as a result, and the Third took over once more. I hear he hasn't lost his edge, though; Orochimaru fell to him."

"That creepy snake guy wasn't very strong. Smart, but not strong at all," Kisame replied. "I was glad to be rid of him, though I wish you guys had let Samehada absorb all of his chakra. There's no way my sword could be taken over by his soul, I guarantee that."

Itachi snorted. "I still don't get how a sword can be 'alive'. Maybe demon-possessed, and in your case I'd believe it, but alive?" He shook his head as he began walking down the hill. Ignoring the fuming giant, Itachi found himself battling with his inner self, wanting to see his beloved brother and yet dreading seeing the boy, who he knew would blame him for the massacre. 'It's not like he's wrong; I was assigned to do it... I just wasn't able to. Why did that bastard wipe out the innocent ones, too? Probably to hold me hostage, but why would he need me? All he needs are the Tailed Beasts...'


	9. Chapter 9

Zabuza looked up from his work and frowned. "So, another Swordsman approaches."

"What's wrong, Father?" Haku asked as she brought in a tea kettle and a couple of cups. "Is Mist coming for us?"

"..." Zabuza closed his eyes and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "... No, not a Mist ninja. A rogue... must be Hoshigaki Kisame and Samehada." He picked up his sword and clipped it to the sheath on his back.

"Will you go face him?" Haku asked as she put the tea down and picked up her senbon pouch.

"Not alone, that's for sure. There's a reason I was only a rank-A rogue while he is a rank-S, and it's not because of our skills," he replied. "Go get Kakashi and Saito. I'm going to get Gai; with this guy it's best to go fully prepared."

…

"Kisame?" Saito asked as he shared a glance with Jiraiya, who nodded and disappeared. Turning back to Haku, he said, "Alright, go get Kakashi as he asked you to." His eyes activated as he leaped off.

When Haku disappeared, Shikamaru looked at Hinata and Naruto. "Either of you recognize that name?"

"Nope," Naruto replied, while Hinata shook her head.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "Let's go." He then turned and ran off to where Saito had been headed, with Hinata and Naruto trailing behind, as confused as they usually were by him.

…

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked as Sasuke and his teammates arrived.

"And miss an epic battle between our teachers and an S-rank rogue? Not on your life," Sasuke replied. "What about you three? I figured I'd see you too, Naruto, but Shikamaru?" He turned to the pineapple-head. "I can't get that lazy attitude of yours out of my head. I'd have figured you would be using this as a chance to go cloud-watching."

"And miss learning about a dangerous criminal who is threatening the safety of the village? After last time? No, thank you," Shikamaru replied. "Hinata, what do you see?"

Hinata scanned the area with her Byakugan. "I see three sources coming from behind; Team Gai, by the looks of it. Our sensei is up ahead, facing off against three huge sources of chakra, and the other teachers are coming in quickly."

"Alright. Everyone, remember to lower your chakra signature so they can't sense you," Shikamaru said, referring to the training they had been enduring for the several days designed to hide a ninja from other ninjas. "Three sources? Hinata, didn't Haku say two were coming?"

"I can't tell what the third source is. It might not even be human, for all I can tell," Hinata replied.

"That's because you're not focusing, Lady Hinata," Neji said as he and his team appeared behind them. With his own Byakugan, he was staring out into the distance at the people ahead. "Your assumption, however, is correct. It's a container for chakra; it kind of reminds me of Gaara's gourd, but it's uniquely different from that." Seeing that the others were coming, the twelve genin hid in the trees and watched from the distance.

…

Further away, Saito's eyes bored into Itachi's neck while Kisame and Zabuza glared murderously at each other. "I heard the rumors, but to think the 'Silent Killer' actually went soft," Kisame taunted, laughing ominously. "It turned out for the best, though. I had wanted to face you in actual combat."

"It would hardly be a good test of my skill," Zabuza replied. "You know the only thing that makes you special is your sword, while I can function perfectly without mine, but you wouldn't know since you left after receiving Samehada from the previous master."

Kisame snorted in response. "Ha! My Water jutsu has gotten ten times better since then, given how much chakra I can use now. I bet all you know regarding your jutsu is your Water Dragon, Hidden Mist, and Water Clone!"

"The number of jutsu doesn't matter, though I imagine our Sharingan-using partners would disagree." A thick mist began to cover the field and Zabuza quickly disappeared from their view. "It's all in the use..."

Itachi frowned as he looked around in the mist. 'Strange... my Sharingan is as limited in this fog as a normal person's eyes are.' Seeing a shadow, he threw a kunai at it but heard a 'thunk' as it landed in a tree, and he gritted his teeth as he walked away from Zabuza and Kisame, trying to sense the presence of Kakashi and the others.

"Itachi... is this the real you, or a mere Shadow Clone?" Kakashi, who had not revealed his Sharingan, asked as he circled around the rogue.

"What is it to you, 'Sharingan' Kakashi? Or should I say, 'Thief' Kakashi?" Itachi retorted. "Obito must be rolling in his grave, seeing you as you are now. With that Sharingan you should have already been at least nominated as Hokage, and yet I hear you've stooped to teaching genin."

"And I enjoy it now far more than even being your replacement in ANBU, Itachi," Kakashi replied. "In fact, the team I am teaching now, which is the first team I've actually passed, is being prepared specifically to face you in combat."

"So, my brother is finally a genin," Itachi noted, not being able to help the smile appearing on his face. "How is he?"

"Eager to meet you," Kakashi replied.

Itachi frowned and his voice held a tint of sadness as he said, "I see..."

"He wants to be the first to welcome you back to the Leaf," Kakashi added. "He said, 'I want to be there to smack some sense into him.' Of course, he knows the team isn't strong enough yet. Think you can use that Tsukiyomi trick on him so you two can do some catchup?"

"How do you know about the Mangekyo Sharingan's abilities?" Itachi asked, the shock ringing clear in his voice.

"Madara wasn't as thorough in his destruction of the Uchiha estate as he probably thinks he was," Kakashi answered.

"Ah... Master Jiraiya is still on the ball. That is good to know," Itachi said. "Where is my brother?"

"With Naruto behind us a fair distance, but promise you won't harm either of them," Kakashi replied. "Sasuke and Naruto are like brothers, which is good given both their pasts, and they'll defend the other to the death, as they've already proven twice now."

"I promise," Itachi said as he began walking out of the mist. As he passed Kakashi, he whispered, "I know who Madara is masquerading as in the Red Dawn, but I can't touch him yet. I need more time to develop my own skills. Somehow he's untouchable, and that is the skill that enables him to be in the Red Dawn as he is right now."

"I'll talk to Master Jiraiya," Kakashi whispered back.

Elsewhere in the mist, Kisame had drawn Samehada and was swinging it wildly into the mist. "I'll absorb all this chakra and send it back at you a hundredfold! Fear my power!"

"It is not your power, and I'll bet Samehada doesn't appreciate you assuming its power is yours to claim," Zabuza intoned from everywhere at once. "Kobukiri Houcho is its own power, and I help it as much as it helps me, which is one more thing you will probably never understand."

Further away, the mist began to spread and engulfed the genin, who began to split apart into their teams and try to escape the mist. Sasuke activated his eyes, but found that his vision was not enhanced, so he deactivated them. "Just like Kakashi-sensei... Ino, Shino, stay alert. Zabuza is on our side, but we don't know if that Kisame guy knows how to move around in the mist like he can."

"Right!" they whispered. Ino pulled out a kunai and kept it at the ready, while Shino pulled out his broadsword. His insects had already spread out into the mist and tagged each person, so the different buzzing noise that they gave off (only those of the Aburame family really understand how this works) alerted Shino to everyone's locations. One was buzzing very rapidly, warning Shino to stay away. Just as Shino began to circle around the threat, he felt a pulse from that direction and felt himself drawing closer to it. His zanbatou began to get heavier in his hands as he got closer to it, which he found odd because he knew he had not been worn out yet.

Sasuke kept walking, warily keeping his Phoenix Flower jutsu ready to use. Suddenly he ran into something and stumbled back. Staring up at it, he realized too late who he collided with as red eyes met his.

_"My brother... it is good to see you again," Itachi said. Sasuke looked around at the desolate wasteland around him, completely alone aside from a single person standing in front of him. "Sasuke, I know you have a lot of questions, and I probably can't answer all of them, but you need to know what was going on behind your back."_

_ "It doesn't matter," Sasuke replied, ecstatic to see his brother once more. "You're finally home! We can clear your name, and we can live together again and rebuild the Uchiha family!"_

_ "It does matter, Sasuke," Itachi replied sternly. "Listen. Do you remember how Father used to be, especially a year before the incident?"_

_ Sasuke nodded. "Thanks to Ino's dad, yes. Father was very strict- well, stricter than normal- and very distant from all of us. I remember you two getting into a lot of verbal fights, too. Does this have to do with the massacre?"_

_ "Yes. You see," Itachi replied, "Father and most of the other men in the Uchiha home were planning a revolt against the Leaf Village. Our ancestor Madara was apparently behind that, as that was his big idea back when Senju Hashirama became Hokage."_

_ "I remember that from our Academy lessons. Lord Senju defeated Madara and solidified his right to become the First Hokage, and after that battle Madara disappeared. No one has seen him since," Sasuke recited._

_ "That's because he's always had a different disguise, each time he's appeared in a different place. He's learned some forbidden space-time jutsu that allows him to avoid the effects of any physical attack or ninjutsu, and the Sharingan allows him to see through any genjutsu. Through this jutsu, I fear, he has come close to being immortal and is using Red Dawn to achieve his own ends, which I am uncertain of," Itachi said. "What I do know is this: I need to be able to stop him, and to do that I need to figure out the secrets of the Sharingan. Being a rogue has allowed me to do this and keep tabs on Madara at the same time. I cannot return home yet."_

_ "Brother, why did Madara kill our family, if he wanted them to revolt against the Leaf and possibly bring it down? And why did he frame you for it?" Sasuke asked._

_ "I do not know the answer to the first part. Maybe he wanted you to develop your Sharingan how I assume he did, through the fierce anger of an avenger. As for the second part..." Itachi looked sad as he continued, "Well, because he wanted to make it look like I'd gone beyond orders."_

_ "Orders?" Sasuke asked, shocked at this revelation. "Whose orders?"_

_ "Isn't it obvious? I told the Hokage about what Father was planning; there was no way I was going to let the village I love be torn apart in a civil war, especially since Rock is still out for blood and will attack if they see any weakness. The Hokage wanted to assemble ANBU to deal with the traitors in our family, but I felt responsible to take care of it myself, since they were my family," Itachi answered._

_ "The Third ordered their execution?" Sasuke gasped._

_ "Yes, to protect the lives of the citizens of the village. Has this not happened before?" Itachi asked._

_ Sasuke immediately thought back to Naruto's birthday and nodded sadly. "Yes, it did... many civilians were going to try and kill Naruto, but the Hokage protected him by making an example of several among the crowd."_

_ "And so it would have been, if Madara had not found out and gotten there ahead of me. He was the one who killed the innocents of the clan and tried to brainwash you into hunting me down with the purpose of killing me," Itachi said. "Probably so that you could help him bring together all the Tailed Beasts. I don't know how he plans on using them, but I know his ultimate goal is world domination."_

_ "World domination!? No one can have the brain power needed to pull that off, except maybe a Nara," Sasuke objected._

_ Itachi nodded. "Indeed, but you forget that arrogance runs in our family, especially given how useful in combat the Sharingan is. According to the legends Madara was given the Sharingan as a gift from the Sage of Six Paths, just as the Hyuuga family obtained the Byakugan and other families obtained other types of bloodline limits. The problem with a gift is that it can be seen as having been earned, but the truth is that the Sage thought that the Uchiha family would be strong enough to use the Sharingan justly. Madara doesn't see it that way, so he's out to prove that he deserves everything he lays eyes on."_

_ "How can we stop him, though?" Sasuke asked. "If Lord Senju couldn't kill him, and that was a hundred years ago, then what chance do we even have?"_

_ "The power of teamwork. We all, as those with a vested interest in denying Madara his twisted designs, are united as a team against him, and the role I serve is as a spy. It is a dangerous job, and the truth is that if I cannot find a certain medic then I will die within a few years. Already my sight is slowly dying away, to the point where I can see clearly only through my Sharingan and the world is so blurry otherwise that I cannot even perform basic functions without it. You need to understand what is truly at stake and who your true enemy is, and I hope I have made it clear to you," Itachi answered, the sadness in his voice obvious to the young Sasuke. He then found himself being embraced by said Uchiha, tears running down his cheeks._

_ "Itachi, I won't let you go! We'll find that medic so that you can live! I promise!" Sasuke declared through his sobs. "Just promise me that you'll be close by and we can get in contact with you, okay?"_

_ "I cannot promise that unless Kisame is killed or captured; I can say that I needed to lay low after escaping so that I could evade the patrols, and then delay the hunt for your friend Naruto because of the strength of the Leaf Village," Itachi said. "This, I could do easily, but they could figure out a way to get to Kisame and find out if I used my Sharingan on him."_

_ "We'll figure out something, but what about stopping Kisame in the first place? We've been in this world forever!" Sasuke asked._

_ Itachi chuckled as he shook his head. "This is my world; time passes as I see fit, and so far we're up to about twenty minutes out of seventy-two hours, which in the real world passes in the space of three seconds, so we have all the time in the world to catch up and maybe even train. Maybe we can figure out some more secrets to the Sharingan together. Sound like fun?"_

_ "Really!? Let's do it!" And so they began training together to pass the time, Sasuke enjoying every second of it._

Meanwhile, swords were clashing off each other as Kisame did his best to hold off Zabuza's Water Clones. "Stupid coward! Come out and fight like a man!" Kisame shouted into the mist.

"Not only do you make yourself easy to find for even an amateur in this mist, but you also forget that ninja do not fight like 'civilians'," Zabuza muttered as his Water Clones continued their assaults. "We do what is best for the mission, not to fulfill some sense of moral obligation; killing itself is morally wrong, I freely admit that, but someone has to do it, so it might as well be those of us who do not feel tied to such things."

'… Why is my sword getting heavier all of a sudden? This has never happened before!' Kisame thought as he continued to cut through clone after clone. In an instant, however, he got his answer as chakra exploded out from Samehada, knocking Kisame away from itself and standing upright as if stuck in the ground.

At that same time, Shino had to drop his sword as it had gotten too heavy for him to carry any longer. 'Great, Yuugao-sensei will surely have my head... I must have been getting lax in my training.' He went to pick it up again, but a blast of chakra from somewhere hit the large sword and shattered it. 'What!?' He looked around, but saw nothing in the mist.

"Shino..." an unfamiliar voice called out. "My next master, come and find me."

"Who's there?" Shino called out. Suddenly a silhouette appeared in the mist and lunged at him, forcing him to back up while he reflexively began sending out bugs to sap his chakra.

"Aha! Zabuza, if you don't want to play, then let me play with one of your little groupies!" Kisame announced as he began attacking Shino.

Hearing the punches and kicks, Ino rushed to where Shino and Kisame were fighting (or, rather, where Shino was doing his best to block the big fish's fog-impeded assault) and launched a handful of kunai. She knew that Shino was already working on draining Kisame, so she knew to not attempt a body-swap and that he wouldn't be susceptible to anything else given his rank.

Kisame now found himself fighting three opponents at the same time, and while with Samehada that would be a good fight he now found himself being pushed back against by a well-timed offense. "Water-style: Water Wall jutsu!" Jets of water shot up out of the ground and blocked both the kunai and Zabuza's Water Clone as he jumped deeper into the mist to find Itachi and regroup.

"Shino..." the voice called out again as the bug-user finally got a moment to gather himself. "Come, take me and allow me revenge on my former master." Looking around, he somehow managed to follow the 'sound' of the voice until he came upon Samehada, which looked as if it was sticking out of the ground but was rather glued to the ground via chakra. "You've found me. Grasp the hilt and you will be surprised."

Shino reached out slowly, anticipating a trap by Kisame, but found that the sword was not being held and seemed to fit into his hand like a glove. He was surprised even more when he lifted it up and it felt as heavy as a pencil. "What sort of jutsu is this, that can make such a heavy sword weigh so little to the wielder?"

"It is no jutsu, boy," Samehada replied. "I choose who wields me, and those I choose find that they can handle me with little effort, though my enemies will feel the opposite effect. My chakra and yours are linked, as you are a chakra thief like me. Do not worry about your tenants; they shall ever be filled by my stores, which are far greater than even that of my former master. Enough talk, though. We shall feast on shark today!"

Feeling filled with strength, Shino easily hefted the sword onto his shoulder and made his way through the mist to where Kisame was hiding. Elsewhere, Zabuza was beginning to tire and had to drop the Hidden Mist jutsu, so the field was revealed: Kisame encircled by four genin teams and four Leaf jonin. Five Sharingan eyes blazed, keeping Kisame from looking in any direction but down, and he found himself now at the mercy of the new wielder of the Samehada. "Surrender," Shino demanded.

"Grr... Itachi, a little help here- ugh!" Kisame tried to say before being cut by Samehada, who immediately drained the shark-man of almost all his chakra.

"I've been waiting to do that!" Samehada stated, satisfied by his feast. Shino said nothing in return, as it seemed that none of the others heard what the sword had said.

"Shino! How'd you disarm the big fish guy?!" Naruto shouted as he ran up.

Shino turned and looked at Naruto, saying in his usual tone, "I didn't. He dropped it and I picked it up."

"Impossible!" Zabuza gasped, surprised by Shino's statement. "Like Kobukiri Houcho, Samehada is a living sword. Surely it would not choose someone so new in the sword arts..." His sword vibrated and he looked at it questioningly. "Well, I guess it does have the right to choose who it wants, but I was quite a bit older when you chose me."

"Shino, we'll all need to talk about this later," Kakashi interjected, "but first we need to figure out what to do with Kisame and Itachi." He looked over at Itachi, who stood next to Sasuke with a hand on the boy's shoulder, then at Kisame, who was still slumped over. "... I guess that will take longer, though." Shifting his gaze to Saito and Zabuza, he said, "Saito, can you take Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke to the Tower? Zabuza, can you take Kisame to T&I? We need to kill him, but first we need to find out what this guy knows about Red Dawn."

Itachi nodded, saying "Agreed. He joined before I did, and he might know about Red Dawn's leader, who I've seen only once. It was from behind, so I didn't so much as get a glimpse of his headband, if he even had one." Glancing at Shino, he chuckled and shook his head. "I have to admit, I'm still somewhat skeptical about 'living swords', but I can't imagine anyone being able to handle that sword. Still, an Aburame is a good choice." Turning around, he walked away with Kakashi and his brother; Naruto trailed behind a bit, studying Itachi intently.

Kakashi then turned to Shino again and asked, "Okay, Shino, explain how you managed to take down an S-ranked criminal."

"I did nothing, sensei," Shino calmly replied. "The only reason Kisame was listed as an S-rank rogue, aside from his large chakra reserves, is apparently because of his sword, the Samehada." Lifting the sword, whose blade was sticking out of its wrappings a bit, he pointed to the scales. "It would seem that this sword was designed not for the regular cutting of a standard bladed weapon, but for crushing and inflicting multiple wounds from just a glancing blow. However, when the sword became a sentient being, it gained a new ability: to absorb chakra. This not only makes it valuable as an offensive weapon, but also as a defensive weapon; you see how large it is, and how easy it is for me to hide behind it, should a jutsu be coming at me. In addition, because it is sentient it can choose its master and give him a distinct advantage against other sword-users: to me, as I imagine Zabuza's sword is to him, the sword weighs next to nothing." To demonstrate this, he lifted the sword over his head with just the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. "Obviously this does give me a great advantage, but I believe I've also inherited a large responsibility. For one thing, Mist is probably going to want their sword back; two, though I am decently proficient in handling a broadsword-type sword I still have a long way to go to mastery."

"That's one of the things I've always liked about you," Kakashi interjected. "You're probably the most mature one in your graduating class. You're right on both accounts, but I have a feeling it will be really bad if we try to separate you from the sword, so we'll progress slowly as things continue."

Samehada began to vibrate and a Water Clone in the shape of Shino appeared next to the genin, also holding the sword. "You are the boy's sensei, correct? I am Samehada. I just want to make sure you understand some things."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but like Zabuza showed no other sign of being surprised, though everyone else did. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"First, there's a reason there are 'seven' swords. There's one sword for each village; two no longer exist, yet the swords live on as proof. They were 'collected' by the Mist to gain an advantage over the other villages, and soon other villages began to pursue different avenues of power. Your village, I've noticed from when my former master spoke with Itachi, was the power of the economy. A smart move in the long run, as you can see from your own history, though this has also made you an attractive target for jealous villages. I originally belonged to this village, and I am glad to have been able to return," Samehada answered. "Next, I wouldn't worry about the possibility of returning to Mist, if I were you, because I can see that I will be well-protected. My new master is young and easily trainable; he will make an excellent swordsman, and given that I can store chakra he can also become a well-rounded ninja. I must ask that you continue to train him to handle a non-sentient sword so that he learns the muscle memory needed to wield me to my full capacity."

"That's a given, Samehada. Our few swordsmen take their training very seriously" Kakashi replied. "Curious... why don't you just wield yourself?"

"You mean, 'since I can make a Clone of myself'?" Samehada laughed as he said, "You know the rule about the Clones; they cannot survive a single hit, mainly because they were not designed that way. Which reminds me, does this village still specialize in 'jutsu crafting', or is the Leaf now so focused on balance that children are not allowed to explore their strengths?"

"Unfortunately, until recently we have been focusing mainly on balance, switching to specialization later. While our job requires it, the Hokage believes that strengths have to be built up, though not ignoring the weaknesses," Kakashi answered.

"I see. My advice: find people with great imagination, and you'll find your jutsu craftsmen," Samehada suggested. "Anyway, putting that aside, you can kill Kisame or brainwash him if you want; given the experiments he went through he's easily susceptible to being manipulated by people like the Yamanaka family, though no one can compare to them in that arena. That's how Kisame ended up leaving the Mist and eventually becoming a part of Red Dawn."

"Do tell," Kakashi said, surprised yet not all that surprised at this revelation.

"That Sannin guy, Orochimaru, conducted experiments far beyond the reach of the Leaf so that he could be unrestrained by your laws. Let's just say that a young genin from the Mist was captured and transformed into the monster called Kisame by this same guy and a Yamanaka slave," Samehada said. "I imagine he wanted to capture me or one of the other Swords to study us, and that's part of the reason why Orochimaru later joined Red Dawn, but Kisame hated the guy's guts and would often try to kill him. He left later on to focus on building up the Sound village and taking revenge on the Leaf, which more or less catches us up to this point."

"You seem to know a lot about these people," Kakashi noted. "Why does the Red Dawn want Naruto?"

"It's not him they want," Samehada replied. "It's the Tailed Beasts. That's why Kisame was recruited and Zabuza was not; I can absorb more chakra than the entire Aburame family combined, which is vital when you're dealing with a demon made up entirely of chakra. I imagine they wanted to use me to help them beat down the eight Jinchuuriki scattered about all the nations while the blond and the masked moron are searching the Three-tailed Demon."

"Eight? There's eight Jinchuuriki?!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"You didn't think your Hokage came up with the idea to seal a Tailed Beast inside a container, did you? He just did it the smart way. Sand has one, as I'm sure you're aware. Cloud, Rock, and Mist have two each, and the Three-tail is sealed in a non-human container somewhere out there; they haven't found it yet, so they won't make a move until they do find it," Samehada stated.

"If that's so, why did Itachi and Kisame come back here?" Kakashi asked.

"To scope out who in Leaf had the Fox," Samehada replied. "Their orders were mainly to scout, but if they were able to capture the Jinchuuriki then they were to do so. Obviously Itachi had no such desire to do so, but he was chosen because he knew the layout of the village; Kisame because of me." He then turned to Shino. "Boy, I am trusting you to prove yourself worthy of handling me; show me that my ability to read others is not slipping." When Shino reached over and grabbed the hilt of Samehada, the Water Clone dissipated.

"Naturally." Looking back at Ino and the others, Shino said, "I must redouble my training, and my family must hear of the recent developments. I'll be sure to leave out the parts concerning the Uchiha family and Naruto, though they must know of Samehada's true nature." After receiving a nod from Kakashi, Shino turned and left.

Kakashi turned his attention to Ino, Hinata, and Shikamaru, who had been with them the whole time; Team Gai had already left as part of the guard detail regarding Kisame. "I know you can guess the detail that accompanies this previous conversation."

"It's a high-level secret that can't be shared until the information is made public?" Ino asked.

"Correct, Ino. S-rank, obviously, given the sensitive nature of the issue with the Uchiha family," Kakashi replied.

"And what of Naruto?" Shikamaru added. "I can pretty much say with certainty what is up with him, and if it's obvious to me, then perhaps it would be wise to let Naruto know how we feel about him."

"I know your feelings haven't changed, but he cannot know that you know of it, unless either Lord Hokage or Master Jiraiya decides to reveal it," Kakashi said. "He has enough to deal with right now, as you all well know." The four of them sat down to rest for a moment. "Ino, Hinata, have you figured it out too?"

"Given how blunt the sword was, how could we not?" Ino answered. "He's still a great guy, luckily for Hinata here," which made Hinata blush, "and all that this piece does is fit every other piece of the puzzle together. I've never been one for them..." here she glared at Shikamaru, "mainly because he would always solve them before I had the border finished, but I'm glad I got to figure something out, and it was about my friend Naruto." She frowned in thought and continued as if thinking out loud, saying, "I don't know why, but lately I've been thinking more about him. Just something about him- I never noticed before- that feels familiar. It's as if I knew him before even the Academy, or something like that." They all stared at her for a moment, which made her come out of her thoughts and blush as she stammered, "I don't think of him romantically; that's Hinata's job. He just seems more familiar than just as a classmate, that's all."

Kakashi nodded. "It's probably because you've entered his mind once before, when you were younger; that happens a lot to a Yamanaka, from what Inoichi says." He looked over at Hinata. "Hinata, what's your take?"

"He's Naruto, and that's all I care about," Hinata replied. "I care about him, no matter what faults or burdens he carries."

"That's a relief, but I must insist that no one here says anything about today to anyone, is that understood? I'll let you know if or when it's safe," Kakashi said sternly.

"Yes, sensei!" the three replied, and were summarily dismissed.


	10. Chapter 10

"You need to see Tsunade?" the Third asked.

"Yes, sir. My regular eyesight is failing, and fast. If anyone can help, it's her," Itachi replied.

The Hokage sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I can understand your coming to me, since I'm pretty much the only one she'll listen to. Look, I'll write a note asking her to do it, but I can't guarantee that she'll agree to it. She long since resigned her commission from the Ninja Corps, so I can't order her to do anything. Honestly, though, I don't even know where to find her." He suddenly began to cough violently, causing Naruto and Sasuke to rush to his side, rubbing his back and asking if he was alright. Spitting into a trash bin under his desk, he replied hoarsely, "I'm alright. Just my old age..." His mind kicked him again for lying, but he knew he had no choice. Straightening up, he said, "Naruto, go find Jiraiya. I'm sending you two to locate Senju Tsunade and bring her back to the Leaf Village. You're to leave immediately; don't return for confirmation." He scribbled a quick note and handed it to Naruto. "Give this to Jiraiya."

"Y-yes, sir!" Naruto replied, surprised by the haste of the action but filled with enough concern for the elderly man to run out at full speed.

"Lord Hokage-" Sasuke began, but was silenced by a look from the older man.

"I appreciate the concern, but our concern is to retrieve the third Sannin. You may leave now; you can wait outside for Itachi," the Hokage said in a tone that brooked no argument. When Sasuke slipped out, the Hokage sighed and relaxed. "I was hoping to hold out a little longer."

"What has happened, my lord?" Itachi asked, concerned for his leader.

The Hokage showed Itachi what he had spit into the can. It was a wad of tar-black goo that just sat there, unmoved and unmoving. "I fear my old smoking habit has finally caught up with me."

"Why have you not gotten treatment?" Itachi asked.

"My time is over, Itachi... the loss of my wife, the invasion, Red Dawn; all of it points to my own demise," the Hokage stated.

The young Uchiha nodded. "I see... and you wish Tsunade to take up the reins?"

"Yes. You're still officially a rogue, Kakashi's not mature enough, and both he and Saito are still teaching their teams. Besides, if anyone can cure me, it's her." The Hokage closed his eyes. "Stay close, but not close enough to draw suspicion from the spies."

"Of course. I'll be near the border with Tea Country; Sasuke will know where exactly," Itachi said as he bowed and, after once again disguising himself as a civilian, excused himself from the room.

The Hokage shook his head as he began to write a new farewell speech, not knowing if he would even finish it but also knowing that he'd need to have something planned out. He glanced at a panel in his desk, wondering if he'd get the chance to tell Naruto the whole truth. A week out, and the committee still hadn't sent word on who got promoted to the rank of chunin, so he prayed that Naruto would be promoted just so he could see the relief on the boy's face before he died. He looked over at the calendar and frowned, seeing how close the trial was, and he prayed some more that Naruto would not be banished; he would do all that he could do to help the boy, but it was clear that he would not have much sway, given his health and the fact that he'd let Orochimaru invade the village in the first place.

…

Jiraiya read the note and glared holes into it. 'What are you thinking, sensei? Tsunade might come to heal at least you, but she'll never want the job of Hokage, nor will she support Naruto. The trial is coming up. There's no time to make any sort of impression with her. Still, there's no time to even debate that, if what Naruto said is true...' He then turned to Naruto. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, sir!" Naruto stated stiffly, his eyes shimming with determination as he looked out into the distance. "We'll get Lady Tsunade and get both the Hokage and Itachi healed!"

Jiraiya nodded and turned to Saito. "I'll be back with your student soon."

"Godspeed, Master Jiraiya, Naruto," Saito responded, nodding once in understanding. With that, the Sannin and his apprentice leaped off at top speed, determined to find Tsunade and save the Hokage.

…

"So, Pervy-Sage, what does Lady Tsunade look like?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I haven't seen her in over ten years, so I don't know how much she's changed, but she's got blond hair like you, is taller than the average woman, and-" Jiraiya had to stop himself from continuing, remembering Iruka's and Sarutobi's warning regarding unleashing said woman on him. "Well, she's an impressive ninja. Doesn't use a lot of ninjutsu, but her medical skills are top-notch and she can hold her own in a fight; even I would be hard-pressed to defeat her in a duel."

"Wow, she sounds really strong, if she can go toe-to-toe with you!" Naruto exclaimed. "She's the First Hokage's granddaughter, right?"

"Yup, she's a Senju," Jiraiya replied, "though she didn't inherit her grandfather's Wood-style jutsu. It was a rare mutation that, unlike the Ice-style jutsu that Haku possesses, was not passed on to his children."

"How come none of Lord Hashirama's children became a Hokage?" Naruto asked. "The second Hokage was the First's brother."

"They all died in the wars or did not want the position," Jiraiya answered. "Not everyone can be a leader, Naruto. It takes a special talent for it that not many people have. Take me, for instance: I wasn't very keen on taking another student, especially with what happened to my last one, because I might be able to mentor but I am not an effective leader. People do not follow me easily."

"Well, if you'd lay off the whole perverted mask thing you've got, people would trust you more," Naruto pointed out.

Jiraiya shrugged in response. "Maybe, but I happen to make a very good living off of being a pervert. Being an international spy doesn't exactly give a stable income, if you know what I mean."

"I liked your first book," Naruto replied. "I need to finish it, 'cause I fell asleep while the Hokage read it to me, but I enjoyed it. Why not write more of those?"

"It flopped," Jiraiya said. "It's the one I'm most proud of, the one I poured the most of my soul into, but after it got poor reviews and didn't sell well, I figured that if I couldn't write action I could write sex; that always sells."

"But don't you see what it's been doing to you?" Naruto asked. "I can tell that you're a good guy, but no one will take you seriously because you don't even take yourself seriously, and the only time I take you seriously is when you talk about ninja stuff."

"Maybe you should be a psychologist, kid," Jiraiya noted.

"Ino's dad- he's the guy I get my gardening stuff from; he's really smart, though some of the stuff he talks about goes over my head, but what I said is just common sense stuff," Naruto insisted.

Jiraiya nodded. "How would you like to learn a jutsu that the Fourth learned?" he asked, hoping to divert the uncomfortable conversation.

"Of course!" Naruto replied.

"Good. Pay attention, okay?" Jiraiya said as a blue sphere formed in the palm of his hand. "This is the Rasengan. You'll need a lot of chakra control to pull it off, but I've got a couple of exercises that you can use to help you in forming the ball and keeping it formed." He pulled a balloon out and quickly blew it up. "Now, what I want you to do is to spin the air inside with your chakra. Concentrate on expanding the balloon with both your chakra and the air without popping the balloon. We'll take on the next exercise once you've mastered this one."

…

The next day, Naruto and Jiraiya were talking as they walked along the path between the Leaf Village and Tanzaku Township when Naruto's voice got low and he asked, "Pervy-Sage, am I really a demon?"

Jiraiya paused and looked down at the blond. "Of course you're not a demon. Why would you ask something like that?"

"Because when I fought Gaara and I accessed the 'second chakra source', I met the Fox," Naruto replied. "I don't remember what was said, but now I get why I was always ignored or attacked. They see me as the Fox."

"Naruto," Jiraiya said, "you should already know that who you are isn't determined by anything but what you do. Unfortunately most people don't see it that way, but believe it or not there are those who know the truth and still care about you."

Naruto snorted and replied, "Yeah, I know the Old Man does, as does Iruka. I know you do, too, but that's it."

"Do you really think Lord Hiashi would expose his family to danger if he thought you were the Fox?" Jiraiya asked. "Also, have you noticed any of your classmates being skittish around you, or anything like that?"

"No- wait," Naruto said, "you mean that they found out?"

"After your battle with Gaara, it's probably obvious to all of them, especially Shikamaru," Jiraiya replied.

Naruto frowned and muttered to himself, "But none of them have treated me any differently…" He then looked up at Jiraiya and asked, "Why haven't they said anything?"

"The Third's Law, remember?" Jiraiya said. "No one is to speak of it unless authorized by the Hokage. A recent addendum has given me freedom to speak about it to those of my choosing. At this point, though, the law is going to have to be nullified, at least to some extent. Too many people know."

"… This is all my fault…" Naruto said, hanging his head. "If only I had thought of something else, none of this would be happening…"

Jiraiya barked a laugh and replied, "I don't think I've ever seen you like this before… and it's unbecoming of you. What's done is done; let's move forward. I'll let your friends know that you know and that you all are allowed to speak of it – in private, of course."

…

Two days passed by, punctuated by the popping of balloons and groans of frustration, but eventually Naruto figured he had a firm grasp on it to try the rubber ball exercise. "Now you have to figure out how to shape your chakra into a sphere, and the ball will serve as a mold of sorts to help you get a feel for it. This time, though, you want to destroy the rubber ball without losing the shape of the Rasengan." This took another couple of days, but Naruto never gave up and, to the amazement of Jiraiya, finally figured it out well enough for the next step. "In order to make the Rasengan, you need to combine the two exercises together, without the aid of the balloon or ball." Several days and ignored warnings later, Naruto was sporting bandages on his right hand and arm that had been dressed with aloe to soothe the burns inflicted by the rapidly-spinning chakra.

As they finally walked into town, Jiraiya sighed and said, "We'll begin once you get healed; tonight we shall feast!" With that, Jiraiya practically dragged Naruto into a bar and sat the both of them down at the counter. "Martini on the rocks, and a hot chocolate for my friend!" The barkeep took a look at Naruto, but when he saw Jiraiya's headband he nodded and got the requested items for the Toad Sage.

"Uh, Pervy-Sage, why are we in a bar?" Naruto asked, but was summarily hushed with a finger from Jiraiya. Despite having gotten their drinks, Jiraiya didn't even touch his, but conversed with the barkeep. Naruto decided to pull out the rubber ball and work on the technique while letting his drink cool and for Jiraiya to let him talk. Meanwhile, Jiraiya had set up an empty glass and began to move it so that he could see everyone in the bar. He smirked as he caught sight of someone and thanked the bartender, paying for the drinks and information before standing up and walking over to a corner table. Naruto, seeing his teacher on the move, naturally followed behind and when they came up to a pair of women he figured that Jiraiya was being a pervert again, but decided to keep his mouth shut as he listened in.

"Come on, milady! We're never going to pay back our debts if you keep spending anything you win on booze!" the younger black-haired lady was saying.

"Aw, don't be shilly, Shizune!" the blond-haired woman responded, clearly more than simply buzzed. "You need to lighten up! Sheize the day!" She took another sip from a jug of what Naruto could only assume was liquor, but she quickly spit it out when she finally noticed Jiraiya.

"Heya, Tsunade! Glad to see all three of you are doing well!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Shtill referring to my breashts as sheparate entitiesh, Jiraiya?" Tsunade snapped, clearly not happy to see her old teammate. "Why do you have to dishturb my shelebration?"

"It's about the Old Man... he's dying, and he needs you to heal him," Jiraiya replied.

The way Tsunade reacted, though, shocked Naruto to no end. "Of courshe that curshed poshition finally got to him! Shervesh him right for taking it up again!"

"Come on, Tsunade, don't you have any feelings for our teacher left?" Jiraiya asked.

"Of courshe I do! But he wash going to die a horrible death anyway when he deshided to acshept that curshed position; why should I bother going back to that hellhole jusht to shave him?" Tsunade exclaimed, only to dodge a rubber ball aimed at her head.

"How DARE you talk down about the Old Man like that!" Naruto shouted, his rage clear even to the drunken Sannin. "He trained you, for crying out loud! That doesn't mean anything to you, though, does it!? And the honorable position of Hokage!? You'd dare to defile it with your crude remarks!" Turning to Jiraiya, he said, "Come on, let's go, Pervy-Sage. She's no Sannin; she's nothing but a shriveled-up old hag!" Naruto, however, was wholly unprepared when a fist collided with his face and sent him flying farther than he'd have ever thought possible from such a slender arm, going through the wall and into the building opposite the bar.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya rebuked her, "he's just a genin! Don't use so much of that monstrous strength of yours!"

"Old enough to be a ninja, old enough to die," Tsunade retorted as she stumbled out of the bar toward where Naruto had landed. Seeing the unconscious boy, though, made her realize who he was. "Wait, is this Minato's brat?!"

"Yeah," Jiraiya responded. "You didn't know?"

"Those bastards told me he was stillborn and that Kushina died at the same time!" Tsunade roared. "I swear, when I get there heads will ROLL!" Of course, after saying that she fell down, the alcohol finally taking full effect and knocking her out.

Jiraiya sighed as he picked up both Tsunade and Naruto. "I guess we'll be spending the night here. Shizune, do you two have rooms at the inn?"

"Yes, Master Jiraiya," Shizune replied. "I'll put Lady Tsunade to bed."

"When she wakes up, ask her to heal Naruto's arm," Jiraiya asked. "I've been teaching him the Rasengan, but he tore his arm up pretty bad and I've forbidden him to continue learning it until his arm heals."

"I will," Shizune replied as they walked back to the inn.

…

Tsunade frowned as she worked on Naruto's arm, marveling at how much he resembled his father. Beforehand, Jiraiya had informed her about Naruto's "inheritance" and it took everything in his power to keep Tsunade from marching to the Leaf Village to kill everyone there. 'Brat... why do you care so much for a town that hates you so much?'

Finally, Naruto began to stir; his head had already been healed, but there wasn't much Tsunade could do for the throbbing pain that Naruto began to moan about. When he opened his eyes, he took one look at Tsunade and said, "I don't want someone who hates the Old Man to treat me. No matter how long it might take, I'll heal on my own, so go punch something else."

"Shelve your pride, brat," Tsunade replied. "I promised I'd go heal Sensei, and I intend to do just that. Besides, left to heal normally you probably wouldn't be able to use jutsu anymore."

"Wait, what?" Naruto asked, confused.

"While you were learning the last part of the Rasengan, you tore up not just skin skin but your chakra coils in your right arm. Without proper medical attention they would've been misshapen and useless," Tsunade informed him. Naruto sighed and stared up at the ceiling, but didn't refuse her help anymore. "Look, I said a lot of things last night that you didn't need to know about, and while I won't take them back I'm sorry you had to hear them."

"You've had a hard past, I'll bet," Naruto replied. "Welcome to the club; I'll get a T-shirt made for you."

"Cheeky brat," Tsunade remarked.

"Bitter grandma," Naruto replied. Both of them began to glare daggers at each other for a moment, then huffed and turned away.

"Geeze, if I didn't know any better I'd say the two of you were related," Jiraiya, who'd walked in the room in the middle of the conversation, commented humorously.

"Too bad for you, huh, Jiraiya?" Tsunade replied.

Jiraiya almost said, "No, too bad for you," but he knew that he'd only be opening another can of worms, so he asked, "When will you be finished with Naruto? We need to get back as soon as humanly possible."

"I'm almost done with the brat's arm; we can leave right now, though, since the rest I can do while we walk," Tsunade replied.

"Okay." Picking up his backpack, Jiraiya said, "I'm gonna go pick up some stuff for the trip back. I'll be back in about half an hour, so you two should pack up as well." He then excused himself from the room and left.

Tsunade turned back to Naruto and began wrapping his arm up. "I'm done with your coils, but the burns will have to wait until after I heal Sensei."

"Tsunade, did Jiraiya mention that the Old Man wants you to replace him as Hokage?" Naruto asked.

"The answer should already be obvious, but I'm not going to sign my own death warrant," Tsunade replied, and Naruto could hear the bitterness in her voice. "You shouldn't be so willing to die, either."

"I won't give up," Naruto resolutely replied.

"Why? Jiraiya told me about your prisoner and how the villagers have treated you. Why waste your time protecting people who don't even care one whit about you?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto sat up after Tsunade taped up the bandage and slipped his shirt and cloak on while saying, "I protect the people who I care about, who have cared about me regardless: the Old Man, the Ichiraku family, Iruka-sensei and my other teachers, my brother Sasuke and my other comrades, Hinata, and others who haven't short-changed me. The rest will see me and eventually come around, and those who don't… Well, their opinion about me doesn't matter much at this point. By the way, do you have anything to read? I probably can't practice the Rasengan right now, and there's no lakes nearby for me to practice water-walking."

"I'll look in my things," Tsunade replied as she stood up. "Tell you what, I'll make you a deal: if you can master the Rasengan in a week, I'll agree to stay on and become the next Hokage."

"I'll take that deal!" Naruto agreed, shaking Tsunade's hand.

Tsunade smirked and turned to walk out. "By the way, nice cloak. Looks really familiar."

Naruto couldn't respond, though, because the door closed shut as soon as she'd finished speaking, so he busied himself with making himself a bowl of instant ramen and another fantasy tale. This one had ogres and talking cats and other crazy things he could never have imagined, but he had to admit that he enjoyed it. Before he could take a bite of his ramen, though, there was a knock at the door, and when he went to open it he was shocked. A raven-haired man stood in the doorway, glaring through his glasses at Naruto and his scratched Rock headband reflecting the candlelight in the hallway. "... Can I help you?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," the man replied. "I was sure that I would find the pervert or the psycho here, but I think your head will do just fine." One of his swords came out and sliced through the door, but when it hit Naruto the boy disappeared in a poof of smoke. "Shadow Clone? He must be his son... Soon they will see that I was right. The Rock Village will be avenged."

Naruto, in the meantime, was thankful for the work Tsunade had done on his arm. "Better not try that again... might mess up my coils again," he muttered to himself as he ran. An explosion, however, caught him off-guard, and he turned to see Tsunade fighting off the strange Rock ninja. Sending a Shadow Clone to get Jiraiya, Naruto tried to jump into the fight, only to get knocked away by the mysterious ninja.

"Sannin Tsunade, your life is forfeit!" the ninja shouted. "Earth-style: Stealth Rock jutsu!" As Tsunade moved forward, she found herself colliding with several rocks floating by what she assumed was magnetism and hidden by a genjutsu that refracted light around them.

"Not bad... for an amateur!" Tsunade replied as she punched the ground, making rocks explode outward and the whole land, it seemed, shake and shift underneath them. The floating rocks were blown away when other rocks collided with them, and the subsequent explosions kicked up a lot of dust and made it seem as if a sandstorm had blown into the town. This, however, proved to be a bad thing for the Sannin as she began to get pounded from what seemed to be everywhere at once. She flew out of the settling cloud, but righted herself and landed. "Is that all you have?"

"Do you think I would fight you without knowing your weakness?" the rogue replied as he slashed open the palm of his hand and smeared it on his short sword. Tsunade took one look and went into psychological shock from the sight of blood, which had long since been her Achilles heel and one reason why she stopped practicing medicine.

"The legendary Tsunade of the Sannin, taken out by a mere drop of blood," the Rock ninja scoffed. "Pathetic! I guess I'm making some Sannin-kabobs with a side of milk today!"

As he stood over her and raised his sword to skewer her, he got kicked backward as, out of nowhere, Naruto appeared and had delivered a swift kick to his chest. "Don't you dare touch her!" Naruto shouted.

"Fine, if I can't have you yet, Tsunade," the ninja replied, "then I'll just have to take HIS son as compensation. Imagine what the Rock Village will do when they find out that he had an heir after all!" He laughed maniacally and went after Naruto, but again only destroyed a Shadow Clone. "His chakra stores must be depleted now; two Shadow Clones is no mean feat, but even the most experienced jonin can usually only pull one off during battle." He turned, saw the boy standing off in the distance, and began to quickly close the distance, though he was surprised to see another one standing next to him. "Do you have a death wish, boy? Three Shadow Clones is impressive, but you've got to be out of chakra by now, and without even having landed a good blow!"

"That's what you think!" Naruto shouted as he held his right arm in front of his Shadow Clone, who began to move his hands over it rapidly. A blue orb appeared between the hands, shocking both the assailant and Tsunade, as well as Jiraiya, who'd just arrived. "Take this: Rasengan!" Both he and the Shadow Clone launched forward quickly, using an explosion of chakra off his feet to propel him faster, and they collided with the Rock ninja. He smirked as the ninja was launched backward, the Rasengan drilling against his abdomen as he flew right out of the village and into the forest beyond, where it exploded.

"Impressive, brat," Tsunade said. "And to think you did that with newly-repaired coils. How did you think to use the Shadow Clone to help forming it?"

Naruto shrugged and replied, "I knew I couldn't do it on my own, but I had to help you somehow, so I decided to try forming it with a Shadow Clone, since I already know they can mold chakra."

'He really is his father's son,' Tsunade thought as she ruffled his hair. "Well, fair's fair. You cheated, but still managed to pull off a Rasengan, so I'll become the next Hokage. Also, here's a gift, for saving me." She took her necklace off and put it on Naruto. "It was a gift to me from my grandfather, Senju Hashirama. Take good care of it."

Naruto's eyes shone as he examined the necklace. "Incredible..." He looked up at Tsunade and hugged her. "Thank you!" Tsunade found her nearly-forgotten maternal instincts kicking in as she hugged him back.

"Lucky..." Jiraiya muttered as he turned around. "Still, that ninja... he looked very familiar." Looking around, he saw Shizune coming with her's and Tsunade's bags. "Well, that was enough of a distraction. Let's get back to the Leaf Village."

…

While this was all happening, Sasuke found himself pacing back and forth in his training field while Ino watched and Shino practiced with a newly-bought zanbatou. He was worried for the Third Hokage, his brother Itachi, and his new brother Naruto; despite the legendary skills of Jiraiya, Sasuke knew that the Sannin had their fair share of enemies and prayed that Naruto would not be used as a hostage or anything.

"Sasuke, stop pacing," Ino said. "You're making me nervous, and you're wearing a hole into the ground."

Sasuke looked down and frowned as he saw that he had, indeed, begun to dig a hole in the ground, up to his ankles, with his pacing. "Sorry, Ino... I hate worrying. The nice thing about the avenger attitude is that I didn't have this kind of anxiety. I guess it's better, though, than obsessing every day about attaining revenge."

"You have learned much," Shino commented as he continued to practice. "I will freely admit that this new you is far more preferable to the old you."

"And I'm glad you talk more," Sasuke said. "I hardly ever remember you speaking during class."

"You can thank Naruto for that," Shino replied. "We admittedly do not spend much time together, but he values my opinion, as evidenced by his asking me many questions on different subjects. This has made it easier for me to speak out on matters that I would otherwise ignore."

Ino nodded and added, "Yeah, he's like that with me, too. He made me think a lot about things I took for granted, or things that I thought were none of my business. Anyway, Sasuke, don't worry so much. Would you mind helping me out with a jutsu I'm working on?"

Sasuke gave her a blank stare. "You tell me not to worry and then ask me to help you work on a jutsu? If it's a family jutsu, then I have every reason to worry."

"That's what I said, as well," Shino interjected. "With all due respect to the Yamanaka family, I can't imagine anyone wanting to be their test-dummy."

Ino sighed. "The both of you worry too much. It's just a genjutsu, aimed at disorienting an opponent by planting a thought inside his head to make him think something is there that isn't, or something that isn't there really is."

Sasuke continued to stare at her, but finally gave in and said, "Alright, but I'm not moving from this spot. How does it work?"

"Well, I kind of have to make eye contact, so I couldn't use it against someone like Itachi or someone who's too fast for me to lock eyes with, but I'll try to iron that out as I work on it," Ino answered. "Anyway, I use an image from my mind and use a swapping technique similar to the Mind Transfer jutsu, but instead of overpowering their mind and controlling them I simply either place an image into their mind or take it out. For instance, say I throw a kunai at them, I can theoretically make them think that I never threw anything at them."

"Ah, I got it," Sasuke said. "Pretty useful, if you can pull it off quickly." Suddenly, without warning, Sasuke saw a kunai flying at him and ducked, only to not hear it go by. He turned and saw nothing, then looked at Ino. "Did you just do it?"

"Yeah; I kind of had the chakra stored up, and the hand signs were already done," Ino replied sheepishly. "I wanted to know how long it would take before it took effect, and if there would be any side-effects. Thankfully, it went off without a hitch."

"... What kind of side-effects?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Well, anything from the wrong image inserted to completely scrambling your brains and turning you into a vegetable," Ino answered.

"..." Sasuke could feel his eye beginning to twitch, but without any verbal response all he could do was simply stand there, not knowing how to respond. Ino chuckled nervously when she saw his eye twitching and began to walk backward in an attempt to slowly escape, but Sasuke would not have it and began to chase her across the village.

As he watched them run off, Shino muttered, "If I were Shikamaru, this would be where I would say 'Troublesome...' and get back to my training. As it is, though..." He looked at his shadow to determine the time and nodded. "It's time to go visit Kin."


End file.
